general question about dream journal

[viper098]

Hi new to this site but I want to learn to get better at lucid dreaming. I know recording your dreams is important in the beginning to improve recall. What I'm wondering is if its necessary to ever go back and read your journals, it seems to me that just pretending to write on a pad of paper about your dreams should be enough to make your brain remember your dream later on. I propose you wake up from your dream, grab your pen and paper and begin writing a detailed account of your dream without actually uncapping the pen, just visualize what your writing in the dark. Idk maybe people already do this, seems like this should transfer your dream experience from short-term to long-term memory. I don't always like to let other people know my curiosities so i'd rather remove the chance finding of some weird journal lol.

[jimmy2times]

It's usually really hard to remember a dream without writing it down. Sometimes I remember pieces but most of it's gone by the time I wake up for the day. When I actually write them down I recall a lot more detail. The more dreams you write down the better your recall gets. My dream journal and a flashlight are right next to my bed so when I wake up from a dream, and I'm not feeling lazy, then I don't have to move too much to write it down. Also, just writing key words is very effective if you don't want to write out every little detail. Oh, and welcome to DV!

[Matte87]

Welcome to DV viper! Like jimmy said, writing down the dreams is important. I've tried only thinking about the dreams, to make them stuck. Even if I do remember them later on, they're filled with holes. Write them down, or record them with a recording device as soon as you wake up. Include alot of details and you'll improve your dream recall fast.