Hi Tracie,
I, too, am quite new to this (just started in January). But here is what I've figured out so far. I agree with Gary that cleaning the nib definitely helps keep the ink flowing (no caking) and helps remove fibres as well. I dry the nib on a microfibre cloth or another rag type thing (less fibres come off of it than Kleenex or paper towel) before dipping in for more ink.
As for dipping, I don't completely submerge my nib. I find it wasteful and I don't like getting the ink too close to my holder, but I do submerge it to the breather hole (but even this isn't necessary). I have a scratch pad next to me to test the nib before I start writing.
I first started with Hunt nibs as well. They were hard to use for a beginner. However, I did continue with them (because I wanted to make sure this was a hobby that was going to stick around before I invested in more nibs), but I found that getting used to them made the other nibs a breeze once I changed.
The flexibility of the Hunt nibs and the other one you described is definitely not for the heavy handed. Easy up on the hand heaviness comes with time. With each lesson, I would focus on how the pen works. As I understand the mechanics of the pen and my comfortability grows, I am finding that my hand is getting lighter and lighter. As with most things, practice is crucial, but quality of practice is key. Regarding dipping, I find the frequency is nib-dependent. The Hunt's I was dipping every letter it seemed. My current favourite nib (Leonardt Principle EF), I can write almost a whole line without re-dipping.
I use practice pads from John Neal with blue grid lines on each page. Even with Sumi ink, I still get some feathering. So I'm not sure that changing ink will help per se. But to be fair, I haven't played around with different inks too much yet.
It seems that many people prefer writing on an incline. I've never tried it yet, so sorry I can't help there. I enjoy a flat surface just fine though. I hope this helps!