Working with TEXT © copyright Giulio Porta 2001
In Photoshop 6, the tools options are no longer in the navigation panel like they were in v 5, where they can be easily missed, instead they appear conspicuously at the top of the interface. If you select the text tool all the option pertaining to text will appear.
create a text layer, or the create a  mask or selection open up the list of options.
  1. create a text layer, types up the texts in a separate layer, using the foreground color.
  2. create a mask or selection isolates the text by selecting it, this is done in two stages, the background turns pink, as you can see here on the right, indicating that the text is masked, when another tool is selected, such as the gradient, or the bucket, the selection becomes active, and it is represented by the typical animated dashed lined or marching ants.

The selection is now ready to be manipulated, filled with a gradient, or transformed.

If you are using a new tool make sure that the Mode of that tool is set to Normal.