So I've been learning how to lucid dream since march without much success early on. But the other day I was reading on how the subconscious won't process negatives like "Not" or "Don't" quite as well as a positive. So knowing this, I changed up my RCs and not only told myself I was not currently dreaming, but also what would happen if the RC failed (e.g. "When I AM dreaming, I'll have more than five fingers/CAN breath through my nose").

This is what I believe set things in motion for me, as I've been able to get one LD a week with this technique for the past six weeks! I could probably get more if I invested more effort, but I'm happy enough with the results I'm getting now.

On an unrelated note, I've debunked the myth that DCs always tell you you're not dreaming, and even go as far to ask a DC to back up my RCs. They'll only tell you no if you're expecting them to.