So, I was having a conversation about free will the other night with one of my good friends. I am strict determinist (everything you have done and will ever do is already determined) while she is not.

At one point in the discussion, she posed the question, "where do new ideas come from?".
This was a question I didn't immediately have an answer for...and I've been looking for one over the past few days, unsuccessfully.

Obviously they must still be contained within the determinist framework, since the only alternative is chaos, so I was wondering if any other determinists here have an ideas on that? Any input would be great.

PS. Although it's inevitable that this thread will turn into another debate on free will, please try to contain your arguments for at least a few days so I can maybe get a reasonable response or two.