Maybe you just need to practice stabilizing the dream, some dreams can be sketchy and weird, where you just lose awareness.

And well, dream journals are mostly important if your recall is poor or if you're beginning. I rarely use mine anymore because I can generally remember my dreams. Sometimes I regret it though haha, but I've been practicing for a while, they are usually helpful for me in the middle of the night when i remember a dream and in the morning I would/would have forgotten it.
An alternative is a voice recorder which is a bit easier, and quicker. Or just lay down in bed right when you wake up, don't move at all, keep your eyes shut and just focus on your dreams and remembering, that usually is beneficial to most.