Hi, and welcome to SRP! You have come to the right place to get you going. :)
First off, whereabouts are you? There may be someone local to you who could meet with you in person to help. If you're anywhere near Ottawa, let me know and I'd be happy to assist.
OK, lots here... :)
What kind of razor is it? Everything below assumes that it's a workable, usable razor and not a razor-shaped-object. Some things being marketed as razors are absolute garbage that will not take/hold an edge. See here for a list of brands to avoid:
Brands of Straight Razors to Avoid - Straight Razor Place Library
And here for a list of good brands:
Good Straight Razor Brands - Straight Razor Place Library
Now, when it comes to honing, the most important thing is to set your bevel. I.e. where the two sides of the cutting edge come together at the point. If the bevel isn't set, no amount of stropping will help, and it will take many, many more than 30 strokes at a higher grit than 4000 to set a bevel. Typically something in the neighbourhood of 1000 grit is considered a bevel setter, and the higher grits (4000, 8000, 12000, even 20000, not to mention 'natural' finishers) are used to refine the edge.
The best way (I found at least) to learn to hone in the absence of 1-on-1 mentoring is to check out some of the excellent videos out there. Look in particular for those of gssixgun and Lynn. I like this one because Glen is taking a beginner through the process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxrs5kFkmJg
Do yourself a favour and get a brush and proper soap or creme. You don't need anything fancy, but it will make a heck of a difference. Proraso soaps are very good and can be found at Shoppers Drug Mart, as can an inexpensive brush. Body Shop's maca root cream is very nice and not too spendy. Moving from canned cream (sorry - just realized I made an assumption that you're talking about cream from a can, so please ignore if you're using a brush etc already) to 'proper' wet shaving makes a huge difference.
As for the grip, it comes with practice. But it does require patience.
Good luck!