A simple yet effective way to "see" what you are doing on a stone is to get a magic marker and paint the edge on both sides with it. Then hone as usual for a couple of normal strokes and take a look at where the marker has been worn off.

This way you can try different strokes (sounds to me as though you might have to do some rolling X strokes, slightly lifting the heel as the toe approaches the end of the hone) to see what is working and what is not.

Good luck!

James.