I wake up, take some phosphatidylcholine, and focus on the backs of my eyelids. Out of the last 10 attempts, only three of them have I been able to focus long enough to even get to fleeting hypnagogic imagery before I'm out cold. And only one of those was I able to stay with the HI to the point where the images had turned into more fully developed scenes with a significant level of developed action. Then I went out.
I'm guessing it takes a specific type of energy to remain focused, and that our activities during the day tend to exhaust our supply of this type of energy. Eastern traditions point to sexual energy, but I have practiced celibacy for over 30 days with no discernable change in my ability to remain conscious in a WILD attempt.
The ONLY thing that really seems to help are those days when I have diligently remained in a very present-moment focused, mindful state for the duration of the day. This in itself is very much like trying to remain in a state of awareness while entering the dream state... it feels VERY similar in fact to try to hold a here & now awareness while going about your daily affairs, as it does while trying to hold a here & now awareness while allowing your body to sleep and awaiting REM, so perhaps they are - if not teh same - then very similar.
Both modes it seems have immense payoffs. I can only attest in the most limited sense to the value of mindful presence in daily waking life; I can only imagine the value of that in dreaming practice... but I hope soon to be able to attest to it there as well! :-)
Let me know if you discover anything that seems to really help in this respect, and in the interim, keep trying. At least you'll be building intent! 
Pleasant Dreams!
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