Add a drop cap or decorative first letter

What you'll do: start your chapters with a large decorative first letter — a classic, polished touch.

This is in First sentence & initials on the Design step. See What is a drop cap? for the idea.

Steps

1. Go to Design and open First sentence & initials.
2. Set First letter to:
   • Drop initial — a big letter that sinks down into the first few lines (a true drop cap), or
   • Raised initial — a big letter that sits on the baseline and rises above the line, or
   • Normal — no special first letter.
3. Choose the Initial font — keep Default to follow your chapter title font, or pick a different one.
4. For a drop initial, choose its Initial height: 2, 3 or 4 lines. Most printed novels use 2 lines; 3 is bolder.

Finishing touches

• Lead-in small caps — set the opening words in small capitals, which pairs beautifully with a drop cap. Lead-in covers chooses between a fixed phrase of Opening words (set the length to 1 for the classic look where only the first word is in small caps) and the Whole first line, which follows the width of the page as in mass-market paperbacks.
• First paragraph — with no initial, choose whether the first paragraph after a heading is Flush (the modern norm) or Indented like the rest, as many romance and non-fiction books are.
• Apply first-sentence formatting — only at the start of a chapter, or after every break (scene break).
• Subsequent paragraphs — indented (traditional) or spaced apart.

Check the preview: drop caps can look cramped with some fonts, so try the Raised initial option if the drop doesn't sit well.