When I solo, I often think of nothing or try to take a conversational approach. Think of a great piece of dialogue from a movie and look at the phrasing, volume range, and character of the voice. You're talking to your listeners, giving a speech, or making a point. I don't think of actual words when I improvise, but I sometimes try to express myself or connect with my audience in phrases.
If you worked at a big call center and had to use a script when talking to a customer, that's like playing from a chart or sheet music. Now think of a car salesperson giving a sales pitch. It's not as scripted but they know what they're doing, have done it hundreds of times, and sold a lot of vehicles. When you finish a solo, you want the audience to drive home in that car. Obviously, I don't recommend thinking about selling cars when you improvise. I'm just saying, think of different conversational approaches. Seduction is another conversational approach and is perfect for some material.
"From the heart to the hands before the mind understands"
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