Thread: A question or two for someone(s) with experience...

To preface, this is my first post in the forum...

My first lucid dream happened somewhere around the end of last year. I started looking into lucid dreaming after watching Waking Life for the hundredth time, and deciding to give it a try. One of my questions stems from my beginnings in the effort. It was either my first or second time trying that I went lucid. A friend of mine had tried for a long period at one time, and he said he'd only been able to do it once.
---So, question 1: What would make me more "pre-disposed" to being able to achieve lucidity?---
After I started, I continued trying for the next few nights. I believe that out of the next 4 tries, only one was unsuccessful. I quit try after that for a couple of nights, but it didn't matter. The lucid dreams continued, eventually turning into lucid nightmares. I finally got them to stop, and my dreams returned to their regularly scheduled program.
-Jump forward to now-
Last night I decided to try again. My only fear from before was that I couldn't get the nightmares to stop, but I was successful in doing so, so I decided to give a good dream another shot. Success yet again.
---Which brings me to question 2: In the film Waking Life the character is told in one of the scenes that a good way to test if your dreaming is to flip a light switch or look at a clock, because light switches don't work, and you can't make out the time... When I'm testing in a dream, I almost always pinch myself first. Then I tend to bite my hand or slap myself, something more intense. I then flip a light switch for confirmation. Last night I flipped the switch, and per usual, it didn't work. I then decided, however, to see if I could become lucid enough to MAKE the light go out. I flipped the switch, and out it went. The question is, is that weird? Or was it just part of being in control? For all I know the light switch concept is not that widely used.---

If a description of my dreams would be of any use, I can include that later. Thanks for any help in advance.

-Coderton