I think you've asked a pretty textbook question.
First of all, this article is excellent.
http://www.sosuave.com/articles/at/converse.htm
The basic formula is:
1.) You ask her a question about herself (one which doesn't have a yes/no answer).
2.) She'll give you an answer. Now, you select one of the themes in her answer, and ask her a question about herself in relation to that theme. Repeat 2.) indefinitely.
Ex. You ask: what did you do this summer?
She answers: I went to France to see my relatives.
She's given you two themes: France, and her relatives. So, there's basically quite a few questions from here:
- What's France like?
- Where did you go in France?
- What kind of relatives?
etc.
Optionally, you can also talk about yourself in relation to the theme before asking a question. (Ex. That sounds interesting; I've never been to France... or Oh; I visited Paris a couple years ago...) But it's important to keep conversation about yourself to the minimum for a couple of reasons: you don't want to bore her, and you want to remain a mystery. Whenever you do talk about yourself, its purpose should be to increase your value in her eyes. The article I linked suggests to show that you've got something in common with her.
The formula does indeed involve asking a lot of questions. But if you do it correctly, it's not going to sound like a job interview, because the questions won't be random - each question will follow from the previous one. It will sound like - and be - a conversation.
In all, the whole idea is that you don't need to worry about finding something to talk about on a date, because you should hardly be doing any talking. Rather, she will be the one doing the talking 80% of the time.