many jazz musicians quote artists they like and basically through inspiration, the alteration that comes from a different person playing something slightly different, and mixing stuff up...you come up with your own solo.
think of solo riffs like a vocabulary and your solo as your time to say a sentence...make sure you have a good vocabulary and understand how to make sentences...you don't need music lessons for that necessarily...afterall, you'll beable to hear what sounds right or not (just like when speaking).
okay...my post is done...goodbye.