Although I don't post stuff here (yet), I like to do a three-part venn diagram and think of three different concepts. The story will be a combination of all three. E.g. gang warfare, vampires, and hospitals.

Characters are harder, but I try to provide a really stark choice at the end of each section, whether that's a chapter in a book or a scene in a short story. Then in the next, the character has to deal with the consequences and move on to the next. Mine often aren't able to deal right away, but as the character goes through the ups and downs of their choices, it makes the character a lot deeper.

I'm on the border of 6 and 7. Chairs creak when I sit down and the arms on office chairs push against my sides. The office chairs that go up and down won't stay up, which is a bugger because I'm tall. Seatbelts are getting pretty tight. All the clothes I wear are at least 3X.