Control/time lucid issues

So I've been having lucid dreams fairly regularly once or twice a week now. The big issue I'm having currently is that none of them last more than a few minutes. I'm in and seem to have a semblance of control (though that's an issue too, sometimes I can't seem to do anything and sometimes I can fly no problems), but the big problem is all of my lucids end up "fading to black" after a few minutes. Has anyone else had this problem or can offer some tips? I've tried spinning and sometimes it works but it's very temporary. Thanks!

Did you take the time to ground yourself in the dream before taking control? That was my biggest problem when I first started lucid dreaming. Once you're lucid, take a minute or two and rub your hands together, smell the air, and enjoy the sights and sounds of your dreamscape. Basically try to use as many senses as you can (including taste, if it's appropriate) to get acclimated to your dream body.

Do a few more reality checks too. Sure, it seems redundant, but it really works for me when I do more after the fact.

Spinning never worked for me since it either just made the dream fade away (just as you described) or changed the dream completely, sometimes losing lucidity in the process. Different people experience different results with different techniques, though. Just do what works for you. ;)

TBK50, I have the exact same problem as you! This morning I got into the dream and about a minute after it went black. There were more vibrations immediately afterward and I went into another dream, but I had to repeat the process of getting off the couch and making sure I was dreaming. I did take time to look around a bit before transporting myself, but the spinning made me lose lucidity. That one lasted about two minutes. Then I had another LD, but it was even shorter. I will follow Buddy's advice and see how it goes.

I had the same problem when I was a beginner and I'm sure most people if not all experience the same problem. I agree techniques like spinning and rubbing hands are only temporary. Even when I was more advanced I still had trouble with short lucids and it wasn't until I had hundreds of LD's under my belt that I broke free of it. What helped most, was breaking the fear of waking up early or having a short lucid, trying not to get too excited, trying not to force things or control things too much, trying to go with the flow of the dream, keep the plot going whilst staying lucid. And I think that is one of the main things when it comes to lucid dreaming... there needs to be a continuous plot going on otherwise the dream has no where to go and it just comes crumbling down on you.

I always look at my hands when I realize I'm in a dream. It helps to pull more awareness into my dream self. I used to look for street lamps but not all dreams have them so I picked my hands 'cause no matter where I am my hands are always with me except in those dreams where I am something other than human.

Thanks for the tips everyone! I just had my longest lucid yet which was pretty interesting. My main goal last night was just to stay lucid as long as possible. Basically multiple times during the dream I would stop to rub my hands or bend down and feel the floor, smell the air, etc. This definitely worked to some capacity cause I've had the longest lucid I've probably ever had. The big issue was my vision was never crystal clear it was always kinda hazy/blackened around the corners. I'm wondering if you just need to do it enough for your mind to get used to being dreamed in that way and then it's much easier to stay in control and have full range of senses and visuals without having to do some thing like rub your hands every minute to keep the dream stabilized?

Also just realize that to a certain extent, how long your dream is can also be affected by your dream control. For example if you have good dream control you will be confident in the fact that you can have a long lucid dream and expect it to happen and it will.

I say to a certain extent because I don't think you can prolong your actual REM cycle like that, but it can help you stay dreaming through the cycle.