So basically you''re having trouble with implementation! Thats why you made all those small programs: to help you develope a style and learn how to implement.

''getting the code down'' generally comes with practice. It should get easier over time...Like anything else..learning math, writing (such as fiction or journalism), playing a musical instrument, etc. You need to give your mind time to reconfigure itself.

After a while, things should start to click into place and programming becomes like second nature. This is not to say that things necessarily get easy overall....

If you keep with it and learn lots about algorithms, data structures, etc, the immediate act of programming will come naturually. Of course, using this knowledge to actually create something useful is a whole other challenge.

Again, this is similar to a traditional writer... You eventually learn the rules of grammer and different theories on writing as a basis and get to the point where you have command of your writing...But then actually writing anything original and creative that people will want to read still winds up being a lot of hard work.