Hello new DV-companions! Help out a newbie?

I found this page about a year ago, and eagerly read my way through tutorials, etc, very fascinated with this phenomena. I had never experienced anything like it before, and was hoping to learn some more about it.

My major problem, at least back then, was my only remembering dreams on rare occasions. I never worked on my dream recall since then, though. Recently, however, I've been able to recall my dreams more frequently, once every two weeks, approximately. Still quite rarely...

What got me back to this website again now, and made me join the forum, was a dream I had two days back.
It was quite an exciting dream, I got picked up by a red, small helicopter (don't ask me why, it's a dream, they're always absurd, as you probably know). Flying low above the ground, out above and down waterfalls, right above waves, quite a thrill. (I believe it might have something to do with me watching Avatar recently, there are these helicopter-like vehicles and at some point the main character jumps down a small waterfall, ya know?)

Then, at some point, the helicopter crashes (only recall seeing the wreck) quite near where I live. We (no idea who the other persons are, two or three people) start walking up this street, that leads to the street where I live.

Now comes the strange part. I manage to ask myself, "Is this a dream?" and look at my hands, counting my fingers, doing the reality-check (as it's called, if I've understood the concept correctly). I read this here a while back, but I haven't been doing that in my normal daily life, at all. Anyway, seven fingers on my right hand.
I realize that this must be an LD, getting curious, and I figure that I have to come up with something cool to do, so first I start off jumping up and down, I'd say at first 4, then maybe 7 meters. Getting really excited I think of something else to do, I try running extremely fast. However, it doesn't work. I just feel like I'm moving my legs really really fast (imagine the cartoons with spinning legs), without moving quickly at all, normal running speed for approx 20-40m. I really want to run fast, suddenly I have a feeling of stress, someone is following me (those 2-3 persons were still around when I started jumping, the just looked normally at me, now however I get the feeling one or more of them try to catch up with me), but I can't move faster, at all.

And that's what I remember... seemed like, perhaps, 10-15 seconds since the reality check.
Now, what confuses me the most, is that it didn't feel that vivid, or lucid, at least not when I try to recall the dream. I've always imagined that LD's are really, well, lucid, and "realistic".
I kind of have a feeling that I, as strange as it might seems, only dreamt that I was experiencing an LD, if that makes any sense? It seems strange that I should already experience a proper LD, I just think about it once in a while and hope that I'll experience it. Dreaming that one has a Lucid Dream - sounds weird, but makes sense to me at the moment. Does anyone have any thoughts about this? Is this anything someone else has ever experienced before?

I normally don't get that much sleep, 5-6 hours a night (well, of course not in the weekends ;)), I'm at a lively boarding school and there's always something happening, although I try my best to get the ideal 8 hours of sleep. Whenever I dream, it usually happens in the morning if I've woken up a bit early and fall asleep again, and I often don't remember until later that day, when something random brings it into my thoughts again.
I've bought a small notebook I'm hoping to use as a Dream Journal, but it's not easy to do so when it's not always accessible (i.e. I remember the dream while being in class, etc).

So, any tips for an eager newbie?

Thanks for reading, looking forward to learning more about Lucid Dreaming, hopefully I'll experience something soon!

Lucid dreams aren't any more realistic than any other dream. You're in a dream. A plain old ordinary dream. Some you could be walking down the street on your way home from wherever. Some you could be at work. Some you could be chased by monsters. Some you could be talking to talking animals. None of that matters. All that matters is did you realize you were dreaming while you were dreaming? That's it.

As for how you feel when you wake up. The feeling when you wake up is the same as after any time you wake up after a dream. You were asleep and dreaming. And now you're awake and not dreaming. The only difference is you remember that while you were dreaming you knew it was a dream. Hopefully you feel some level of satisfaction that you had a lucid dream! And hopefully you had a good time:)

Are you asking about increasing dream recall when you first wake up? If so, then here is something I do. As soon as I wake up in the morning, I lie still in the position that I had just woke up. I try not to move. Also, I tend to not think of the day ahead of me, I just keep my mind open and try to let my dreams come in.

Good Luck!

:DHellooo I'm new too! I get what you mean about dreaming about having a lucid dream. I remember one dream I had, where i realised i was in a dream and i went to explore, and i found 3 dogs and one had a monkey on its back.. anyway then i got destracted cos i realised i was late for meeting my grandparents. I guess what i'm trying to say is, well i think to begin with it was lucid, but it still seemed like a dream, like err not really vivd or real life if that makes sence. Cos many people say that Lucid dreams are really vivid.

Well, that's the strange thing, Tiklish.
I did realize that I was dreaming, but it seemed so automatic, as if I were no more active in thinking "This is a lucid dream" than "I'm in a helicopter". As if I didn't actually realize that I was having a lucid dream, I was dreaming that I realized I was having a lucid dream. Get it?
Not sure I myself do, hehe.

And also, I don't remember waking up right after the dream.. I just wake up, not noticing the dream at all, but then later on that same day I remembered. Perhaps that's why it now seems so distant, in a way, because I didn't wake up straight from the dream, realizing it.
I suppose what Saturos suggest could help me with that.

Dreamdreamdream17, maybe we just have to high expectations of LD's being very vivid..

I think it must just be different for everyone, cos you're never gonna know what someone elses dream looks like :) I think i'd rather it be more dream like anyway, i like it being different to real life

Welcome!^^

Seems like your of to an exiting start :D
Remember also that vividness and your recall changes from time to time. So one morning you can wake up and really thought it happend and another it can just be hazy memory.

As for a tip, I find it very good to use a mobilephone timer and set an timer for an hour at time to remind you to do RC`s. ( cause i always forgets it >_<) That way you really get in the habit of doing RC`s fast.

Good Luck and happy dreaming!