It should not feel like "scraping" at all. I made this rookie mistake my first go 'round when I used a crummy razor. Considering the razor was honed by Lynn (Did you strop it? Correctly?) I think you're right about improving your prep; and you're certainly right about not feeling a tug on the razor.

You might also take a look at your lather. If it's too dry it can make the razor tough to glide along your face. I find my razor feels like it's tugging if my lather is dry, even though all of the parts are right. (Happened today actually - I rinsed off the dry stuff and re-lathered. No biggie.)