What does writer's block taste like?

I've heard of the term but I've never understood it properly. Then again, I've never been much of a writer. But I understand that a person simply cannot move forward with ideas. This is either from a lack of ideas, too many ideas, or being overly critical of results.

A lack of ideas seems much like a dam, ready to burst. You just have to break the dam. I see how it's difficult to do that, but even something simple like a random phrase generator could be enough to get that dam to at least start leaking.

Too many ideas seems like the opposite where the dam is burst and you can't get a grip on anything because too much is coming at once. It's like swimming against the torrent when all you really need is to dip a bucket in for a little bit at a time.

"An artist is his own worst critic." I've heard that expression time and again, though I don't know who the originator of that expression is. But that one I can easily understand. Some people may be having good ideas and simply dismiss them because they think they aren't good enough. This seems more a personal problem than an artistic one. The writer is simply dashing his ideas without properly evaluating them. In this case, ideas need to be bounced of others. An independent source can give a much clearer indication of quality. The problem is the writer has to realize he's been way too critical.

I've had my own methods of dealing with blocks, though it's nothing like the more serious cases I've heard about. For some people, it interferes with daily life, relationships, or even physical health, all of which may compound the block. It seems akin to phobia where people lash out or react very poorly. It's difficult to manage without help.

Now, I've manage to overcome small blocks myself. Like I mentioned, when I can't seem to get an idea, I hit a random generator such as this one. When I get too many ideas at once, I'll assign some ideas to numbers and roll a die. When I get to a point where I can't properly judge quality of an idea, I'll bounce it off someone. "Hey, does X sound good?" I'll commonly do that with cooking.

Like I said, my cases seem simple compared to what I've read, but maybe it could help someone. If you have any ways getting over those stumbles, trying sharing those ideas. Have fun!