You guys know what I mean when I say "kitschy," right? Is it really that archaic of a word? I never thought it was, but I have now had two different editors in two different manuscripts question my use of it. In "An Unexpected Legacy," Jessica and Chad visit a smoothie shop that is decorated in a kitschy island style, with pineapple candles on the tables and a tiki hut roof over the counter. In the manuscript coming out next spring, my characters are shopping in San Antonio and wander through several kitschy shops. I don't think I even realized I had used the word. It just left my fingers and entered the story as I wrote because it was the right word at that time. I didn't even think about the fact that someone might not know what I meant by it. When I tried to explain to them what "kitschy" is, it's almost not easy to come up with terms that mean exactly the same thing. So, I looked it up on dictionary.com. There, it's described as "tawdry" and "created to appeal to popular or undiscriminating taste." It's also derived from a German word which means to "throw together." That's what I'm picturing. It's not going to be classy or simple. It's eclectic and almost overdone, as if an Oriental Trading catalog exploded in the area. It's probably not something you'd want to visit everyday, but every now and then, it's fun to be in places like that. I rather love words that can't really be replaced by another single word because there isn't another that means exactly the same thing. Don't you? What about you? Did you know what it meant before I told you? Have you ever run across a word you didn't recognize right away while reading and have to look it up? I'd love to hear about it!
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