Lemmings don’t jump over cliffs in reckless group suicide. It’s a myth.
I referred to lemmings when describing a mass self-annihilation movement in a short story. The story was rejected, the editor pointing out my metaphor was wrong: Lemmings don’t commit suicide.
Considering I’d put dolphins in the role of psy-villains, I think my myth-take with lemmings was the least of the story’s problems.
2 responses to “Things I’ve learned from editors”
What a story! I knew sheep were dumb, but still…If I'm ever mad enough to become a farmer (soooo unlikely) I'd go with goats instead. Or maybe alpacas. Probably best to stay safe in suburbia 🙂
Well, if you want mass-annihilation you can always use sheep.Recently, in Turkey at least 400 sheep fell to their deaths. Their herd instinct is so strong, they will follow without thinking. When one tried to jump across a ridge, they all followed to their inevitable demise.