I did have a lot of excuses when I lose my groove sometime ago because of frustration when I saw my shots were really shot (pun intended) when we went for that driving trip to Reno and back to Missouri. You're not alone. We all have this kind of feeling from time to time.
You are a good photographer...stop hitting yourself. I aim to be just even just half as good as you...really.You are right, and the "floating" impression annoys me. All very well getting a good sharp result but it has to look natural as well.