[workhorse]

This is an extremely dangerous response. The fact that it is at the top is disheartening, especially for this site.

The real problem is treating startup ideas differently than ideas. Ideas are like experiences. They build off of each other and the sum is greater than the parts. Not always in a literal sense either.

The fact of the matter is, the way we arrive at things isn't truly understood. But there are people who propose methodologies that may or may not work for the OP.

A good start would be James Altucher's idea machine: http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2012/10/how-to-become-an-idea-m...