Or you can make the world first and then create a story to show it off. That's what the folks at Origin did when they created worlds.

My story: End of Eternity, Defenders of the Earth, Ravaged Planet.

The story takes place during 1950's. A group of scientists are working to develop a new superweapon for the cold war. During their studies they accidentaly discover means for inter-dimensional travel. They travel into another dimension where they are captured by alien lifeforms. The aliens have destroyed their planet with their strange and unnatural technology, and the entire alien dimension is starting to disintegrate. The aliens are eager to use force and desperate to immigrate to our dimension to save themselves. The scientists escace their prison and find a way to travel back to earth while the alien dimension disintegrates.

Ok, I used more than three elements.