Looking at your handle you must be a fellow Irishman, at least I don't think Damien Rice is that big outside of the country (could be wrong though!). Regards creating solos, do what the other guys said about learning scales and licks, then jam a little for a few ideas, THEN listen to the backing music and imagine what would sound good over it. Hum along with the music and then work it out on the guitar. The mind is not restricted by knowledge of the fretboard or stuck in scalar patterns so you will get much better ideas thinking up the music rather than trying to analyse a scale. Just my two cents, it works for me.