There's a booklet with today's Guardian called "How to write fiction". There's a article by Kate Pullinger addressing on of the most common (and most annoying) questions asked of artists and writers.
Writers are often asked the question, "Where do you get your ideas from?" as though there is a special place where you can buy them: Asda for chick-lit, perhaps, Waitrose for literary fiction. But, even though this question gets asked a lot, most writers find it difficult to supply a decent answer. The truth is that ideas are all around us, in the people you meet, in the things you read and see and hear and experience, in your own childhood and family, in the wilder reaches of your imagination.
The complete article is here