New and some questions!

Hi! So I've been keeping a dream journal for like 4 days, but I've got some questions:

1. How can someone plan their dreams? Do they think about the plans constantly before falling asleep or?
2.Do people dream EVERY night, or does it happen ocasionally?
3.My dreams are always blurry, I can remember some aspects of it and write it down, but almost never something exciting happens like it used to, and I can't figure out how to look for sings in my dream when I really can't control anything, or be concious in it.
4.After the third (or fourth etc.) REM stage when I wake in the middle of a dream(even though that sometimes doesn't happen) and write it down, do I have to go trough 3 REM stages again to have a strong dream or can I fall asleep immediately after writing down the first one?

I guess that's all for now... After the third day I started getting pessimistic about LD, cause now I really can't imagine to find sings, getting concious, or even remembering my dreams fully... I know it can't happen in the first week or so, but it didn't start out so well, so any usefull help would be apriciated.

1. If you mean incubation, then yes. You think about something for a long time, or ALOT. This requires some practice and visualization. Visualize the place you want to end up alot and hope for the best. OR you do a WILD and enter that place by visualizing it right there and then.

2. Everyone dreams EVERY night, it's just a matter of recalling them. That's why you're keeping a DJ, to improve your recall.

3. Focus on remembering the dreams and don't give up! Vividness and stuff like that will come along when your memory gets better. It will take time to improve your recall, but it will happen.

4. No. When you fall asleep right after you've written it down, you will end up in REM again. Since you've already slept 6 or so hours, you will have longer REM periods and little deep sleep. When you fall back asleep and wake up again, 10 minutes can have gone IRL and you've already had an amazing adventure lasting more than that.

The thing you have to realise is that LD'ing takes TIME. Alot of it actually compared to other hobbies you just start doing right away. Just believe in yourself, read other people's DJ entries and set up a nice goal. Try WBTB also if you can, it's a great technique that works for most people.

Good luck and keep on dreaming!

Thanks for the help! I will try my best, and this was very helpful :-) so thank you again!

1) Yes, incubation is possible, but difficult. Sometimes I use this technique to get lucid. I incubate a dream where I am in a room with RC written on the wall all over like something out of The Shining. All work and no play make ninja a dull boy.

2) Every night, actually 3-5 times a night ;)

3) Lay in bed very still with your eyes closed when you first wake up. It'll kick the dreaming part of your brain back on and bring forth your dream memory.

4) The next REM cycle will be even more vivid. The first couple are weak and short, but then afterwards they are always long.