Whenever I've had to tamper with history for plot purposes, I make sure to mention that in my author's note, and I try to keep such tampering to a bare minimum. I also attempt to keep my characters true to their historical counterparts. This is not always possible, of course.
I like to keep it bare minimum, be it make-up or accessories.
Any plot you impose on your characters will be onomatopoetic: PLOT. I say don't worry about plot. Worry about the characters. Let what they say or do reveal who they are, and be involved in their lives, and keep asking yourself, Now what happens? The development of relationship creates plot.
If rather than setting the minimum balance as the lowest possible amount, so we keep people in debt for as long as possible, we raise the minimum payment and encourage people to pay off their credit cards, we're going to make less money, but we're going to have costumers that are more solvent.
If you want money, buy lottery tickets. If you love music, practice and keep your overhead to the bare minimum. Keep your promises, who you are is more important than what licks you know to any band leader.
I don't keep anything on paper (except within an actual novel in progress, at which point I need a file to keep track of plot threads, characters, and so on).
Stopping before you reach the goal does not make the discouragement go away. All it does is make the discouragement permanent. Instead, keep going, keep making the attempt, until you make that last, fulfilling attempt that brings the success you desire.
But keep characters in propinquity long enough and a story will always develop a plot.
I make sure to consume plenty of vegetables every day. Vegetables keep you very full, and I'm also a vegetarian, but yeah, they keep you extremely full, so you're not hungry, and you always feel satisfied.
While I've written in the POV (point of view) of adolescent characters before... I never have had to create novels in which those characters not only drive the plot, but also are instrumental in resolving whatever issue the plot deals with.
For me, plot always comes out of character, so I had to be sure of my characters.
Keep evolving. Keep reading plays, doing plays, but also be sure to expand your horizons as much as possible. You only have yourself to bring to your work. You are your palette, so give yourself as many colors as possible to paint with.
I now can be sure that, once I start writing a book, I'll be able to finish it. I've also become more assured about my 'voice' as a writer and being able to keep the characters true to themselves.
I like to keep a book underneath the pillow that I'm not sleeping on so I can reach over and grab it when I wake up. I don't always do that, but I like to. I try to make sure it's a book and not my laptop. I also try not to get too excited about who might've been trying to contact me while I was asleep.
We also have to make sure our children know the history of women. Tell them the rotten truth: It wasn't always possible for women to become doctors or managers or insurance people. Let them be armed with a true picture of the way we want it to be.
If you're writing something that's clearly labelled as an alternative history, of course it's perfectly legitimate to play with known historical characters and events, but less so when you're writing an essentially straight historical fiction.
What I do is I try to be as healthy as possible all around. I use a Proactiv daily wash because my face is dry and it keeps it that way. I like to use other moisturizers to keep my face hydrated. I always put on sunscreen. I just always like to make sure my face looks fresh and has that glow.