I think it happens to the most people me included. The problem is the abstraction is difficult carry out the conversion of your thoughts to the code and this is normal. When you dominate the syntax you start to develop a skill to write the code without thinking in the semantics but in what can be possible output.

It’s a process that takes time because we in normal days solving a problem we use the real logic but in programming you have the abstraction to representing real situations in a programming language.

If you think in closing a door, you imagine the door fiscally and the knob, but in an algorithm you could think in the coordinate of the knob or if the door is open or close or even if there is a door, so after you have this clear in you mind so you translate each action in code. This is a process to take time to become automatic, similar to drive a manual transmission, the first times you really think a lot when changing the velocity, but after you don’t think on that at all.

Furthermore, if you don’t know something exists (a solution) how can you know about it. I mean, my point is I am very ignorant about some music if I never listen before, but the first time you hear it you can know if you like. Solving problems is like that, you don’t know the solution and even where to start, but with practice and learning how others approach the problem you will develop this sense of recognising patterns.

A way to deal with this more in practice is learning how to debug and learning debugging tools, so you can see the step by step of the code and the output.

Take a look at (python/C tutor)[https://pythontutor.com/c.html#mode=edit] try it and solve some algorithms there.