A status report on writing during the first quarter of 2026
From a writing standpoint, 2026 has been a good year so far. As of today (March 31), I’ve had seven pieces published in seven different places. The latest pieces, published Monday and today, are “Scenes from a Chinese Restaurant,” a bit of flash fiction published in luckycreature‘s #MuckyMondays, and “How to Fish,” a short story in Cowboy Jamboree‘s latest issue, a tribute to the late great grit lit writer Lucia Berlin.
Looking ahead, I have acceptances for six more pieces, most of which will be published in April.
So far this year, I’ve submitted to 50 journals. I’ve received rejections from 30 of them, putting me on track to again this year join the 100-rejection club.
Here is everything I’ve had published during the first three months of 2026:
- “Liars,” creative nonfiction in Frazzled Lit, January 2026.
- “Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott?” a short story in The Orange Rose Literary Magazine, January 2026.
- “Livin’ la Vida Pocha,” creative nonfiction in In Short, January 2026.
- “Devin Found a Flash Drive,” micro fiction in MythicPicnic, March 2026.
- “Eden in the Ozarks,” a poem in The Argyle Literary Magazine, March 2026.
- “Scenes from a Chinese Restaurant,” flash fiction in luckycreature‘s #MuckyMondays, March 2026.
- “How to Fish,” a short story in Cowboy Jamboree, March 2026.
Andrew Careaga 