Idea's for writing a story

I always write my Characters first.  I give my Character a place to live, an Identity.  I usually make up to five to six Characters.  I then give them a place where the story will take place.  When I write, I always base my books on real life events, followed by pure fiction.  Once I have my Characters, I place them into a Story.  I has always worked well for me.  I find the theme of the story from the Characters I already created.  It may seem backwards, but it does work.  They it, see if it can work for you.  Hope it helps.  

Jeremy Stone