Diane Setterfield in her novel, The Thirteenth Tale, describes one's experiences or subjects as compost. I thought that this was an interesting description.

All of the character's experiences are in a "dark, rich organic mulch." She plants an idea in the compost, and then "one fine day, I have a story or novel."

I loved how she described the whole process of imagination and creative writing.

Keep an idea notebook or an electronic file as your "compost" file. Jot down anything and everything. It helps me when I need a spark or a kick-start.

Diane Setterfield's book is great too. Check it out if you get a minute. It reminds me a lot of a modern Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights.