Honestly, the only way I ever compose and record is by imagining what I want to hear, then I work it out - same goes for all of my solos. I don't really know any theory and if I try to work something out because a certain scale is supposed to fit the riff then I end up with something that sounds boring. It takes getting used to but imagining what you want to play then working it out gives you a lot of freedom beyond a strict theoretical framework (then again I do have experience playing piano). The more you do it the easier it gets, I found that it helped me to develop a pretty keen ear for the tones on the fretboard. I don't really think about what I play at all now just kind of instinctvely go for the fret I want to hear.
I write most of my solos when I'm driving my car at work. I usually bring a completed backing track on a cd or a selection of riffs and just listen to it over and over. After a while the same phrasings and licks will keep popping into my head, this is when I start to visualise how I will play them, by the time I pick up my guitar I already know what I'm going to play (still takes a bit of working out at times though!). I would never say don't focus on theory but if you already know some, then you should try this method for a fresh approach - I found it helped me to let go of the patterns I got used to playing which had me in the creative rut I was in since I started getting my chops up to speed.