When I first started using a straight razor I had a hard time envisioning what a 30-degree-to-the-face angle looked like, especially on portions of my face where I was already feeling awkward merely holding the razor against. One day, I read a post on SRP that mentioned keeping the spine about one spine's-width off of the face. That made a huge difference for me.

Obviously, prep, lather, and stropping are huge factors too.(assuming your razor is shave-ready).

Hang in there - from one OCD kind of guy to another.

Greg