: Why do typesetters capitalize the first few words of a new chapter? Something I've always wondered. You've probably noticed that in some newspapers or books, the first few words of a chapter/story

Something I've always wondered. You've probably noticed that in some newspapers or books, the first few words of a chapter/story are bolded or capitalized, similar to initials. For example:

This image isn't from a real book, it's from an SE puzzle parodying a newspaper. It should convey my point though.

I've heard that this is a typesetting convention and it is not the writers who capitalize these words. However, what is the point? Is it recommended in publishing? Does it actually help readability, or is there some historical reason?

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: Starting writing + Resolving a conflict in my timeline First of all, I'd like to say that I am as novice a writer as they come. My english is bad, and I've never ever written a fictional

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: MLA: How do I add an in-text citation when I'm quoting a quote that has a quote? I am quoting Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, who is in turn quoting Rene Girard. Here is the sentence in question that

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: Do popular books use simpler language? This might seem like an obvious question, but I'm curious if there's been any research into whether popularity correlates with linguistic simplicity. Furthermore,

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@Shakeerah107

This type of formatting is the precursor to modern day click bait from titles such as Buzzfeed. Through highlight using a line and sinker, it leads the reader in to read further. This is not very relevant in writing unless you are directly targeting an audience.

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@Kevin153

That's called a lead-in. The general idea is to use special formatting (e.g. all caps, small caps, italics) to gently guide the reader to recognize where the text begins (or resumes after a break).

If sections are marked with headers, guidance like that isn't strictly necessary. In those cases, the use of lead-ins is a style choice.

And, yes, that kind of formatting is the publisher's job, not the writer's.

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: Why do typesetters capitalize the first few words of a new chapter? Something I've always wondered. You've probably noticed that in some newspapers or books, the first few words of a chapter/story

More posts by @Angela458

: Starting writing + Resolving a conflict in my timeline First of all, I'd like to say that I am as novice a writer as they come. My english is bad, and I've never ever written a fictional

: MLA: How do I add an in-text citation when I'm quoting a quote that has a quote? I am quoting Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, who is in turn quoting Rene Girard. Here is the sentence in question that

: Do popular books use simpler language? This might seem like an obvious question, but I'm curious if there's been any research into whether popularity correlates with linguistic simplicity. Furthermore,

: Describing a sport in a fantasy setting In one scene in my YA fantasy my characters are at a party on a beach. One piece of the setting is a group of teenagers playing a game, which my

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