Which Comes First – The Market or the Story?

Every writer has a different method for getting the words down for the story that needs to be told.

Which do you think should come first – the market or the story? 

I used to write what I wanted and then tried to find a market for it.  I would spend a lot of time revising the piece so it would fit the market.  This was a bit of a waste of time and didn’t do much service to the story. 

Now I do a little bit of both.  I write what I want with an eye towards the market or the theme.  If it fits, then I submit it.  If it doesn’t fit, I save it until I find something that seems like a good fit.