Steps in the Right Direction

Recently, there have been a few steps in the right direction in terms of my writing career. 

1. Promotion. I was offered to be promoted to "Columnist" for Coal Hill Review. As it stood before, I was an occasional contributor for book reviews. This promotion means that my name is listed on the left side's panel with the other official bloggers and I get a bio paragraph. Basically, my name is more noticeable and it'll be easier to get to my reviews. The position still isn't paid, but that's okay. It's still the exposure that counts. I have to submit reviews or prose once a month. Should be doable. I'll probably stick to a literature/writing theme. The other themes are teaching experiences, culture clashes, poetry reviews, and "nature, humor, politics, and diet... the whole range of human experience, according to my editor.
2. Pittsburgh Quarterly. I've been an editorial intern for Pittsburgh Quarterly for almost a year. After the first required semester was complete, I didn't have to go to the weekly meetings anymore because I reached my credit requirement. However, the internship itself extended indefinitely because I was still able to proofread for them. Also, we started revising its style guide in order to make it coherent, cohesive, easier to navigate, and easier to access. Eventually, it'll be posted online. Because I'm the main copyediting intern, this project became my baby, so to speak. It stalled around the holidays and will pick up again in the next month or so. In the meantime, I was able to get in touch with my editor and learn that the spring issue is about to be released. In order to proofread for it, I'd need to get it this weekend. Surprise. I'm okay with this, though, because I wouldn't want my name listed as an intern on something that I hadn't touched.
3. Submissions. My pile of rejections is growing. So, I "submission bombed" last night. I'm not sure if six simultaneous submissions counts as bombing, though... My friend Beth seems to be on a roll with submission acceptances lately. I think she has at least six stories that have been published, and (so she claims) a pile of rejections. Compare that to my one acceptance, and I feel like I'm failing as a writer. Again. So instead of reading or writing last night, I chose to research lit mags and submit. It took most of the evening. Crazy...
4. Short story idea. The other night, I had an idea for a short story. I let it simmer for a bit and then, a couple days later, it hit me full force and I had to jot down scenes. It's nice when this happens, while it lasts. I feel like I've been off more than I can chew, though, because of its themes and actions. It will be about the concept of mercy, and the main character is a nurse. It lacks a definitive conflict, though, and I'm afraid people will consider it to be boring. We'll see... The idea has since stopped yelling at me, so I'm not sure how long it will take to write. But! It's the first feasible short story idea I've had in a long time.
5. Agent contest. I recently entered the Lucky Day Agent contest. The theme this year was sci-fi or YA. No, I am not yet prepared for an agent. However, the contest itself was easy to enter. All I needed to do was post about it twice on social media platforms, provide proof of those posts, and submit the first 150-200 words of a first chapter. Winners of this national contest receive reviews of their first 10 pages from the agent judge, and a year's free prescription to Writersmarket.com, I think. I don't expect much from this considering it's a national contest and many, many people entered. However, I took a shot and it pushed me to start revising portions of my NaNoWriMo novel in the meantime, even though it's not yet finished and probably won't be for a while. I've gotten stuck on some points... Anyway, the winners will be announced at the end of this month.