I wouldn't call it a disaster, you had some recall at least which was good - even if the dreams you had weren't what you were hoping for. Personally I like Nightmarish dreams, they're intense and I usually dream of pretty mundane things.

How did you shatter your chances for getting a lucid? It sounds like you made a pretty solid attempt. Make sure when you are using your mantra as you go to sleep that it isn't just hollow words you're repeating to yourself - i think this was one of my first mistakes. Get yourself stoked on something you want to do if you get lucid and feel the excitement when you're trying to go to sleep.

The first few weeks that I tried to induce lucids I had some trouble falling asleep, after some of the excitement and novelty wore off it became much easier for me. Don't get discouraged and stick with it. I almost stopped twice not too long ago because I felt like I wasn't getting the success I wanted -- But I ended up sticking with it and I seem to be getting the hang of things recently.

Lastly, another thing I would recommend because I feel like it helped me A LOT when I began doing it -- Write down goals for yourself in your journal. Nothing too intense at first, my first few weeks were just "Remember 5 dreams this week" or something of that nature. Think about your goals throughout the day and before you go to bed, a lot of lucid dreaming is intention.

Good luck, and welcome to Dreamviews