For your first question, that's exactly right. Please post your CS in here first and after a few CS's have been accepted, I will put up an OOC. :)

As for the second one, you'll have to update them as the story goes on. Not constantly though. Only when you think the time is right. And that section is, in fact, to encourage pre-existing relationships. So, yeah! You can plan things out with someone else and have a pre-existing relationship with them!