I just started to learn how to lucid dream yesterday so I went to a bunch of random sites to learn what I needed to know but so far im still a little or more accurately a lot unsure of what im doing so hopefully you guys can help me out. The closest I have ever been to a lucid dream was a pre-lucid dream where I was watching the dream happen knew something wasn’t right but didn’t do anything about it, if I could get back to that kind of dream im sure I could take it from there because that was the only time that it ever happened.
Firstly the dream journal or what ever you want to call it, all the sites said this was very important but you need to remember the dream in the first place to right it down. I was told you have 4-5 dreams a night but I can’t remember anything at all I just go to sleep and wake up the next day im sure I had a dream but I cant recall anything. I read you should as soon as you wake up not move at all and let your mind wonder but then all I see is the dark in my eye lids so if you have a tip for that please help me out.
Second is dream signs, I copied someone and wrote the letter R on my hand but wouldn’t that appear in the dream. I’d appreciate it if you guys gave your ideas of a sign. But even then I don’t know if that is needed to get into a lucid dream or to realize you are dreaming, but like I said im very very new to this.
Oh and one more important question that I really need answered is how real is a lucid dream, I would expect it to be very real because you need a sign to tell the difference between it and real life. The dream I mentioned earlier was completely fuzzy, imagine being in a dark room with a tiny television with a lot of static because that’s what it was like.
For the record this is so far my favorite site for information: consciousdreaming.com/lucid- … am.htm#one
Moved from General Lucidness. 
I’m a new member here too but a long time LDer, so I think I can help! Dream journals are very important. They not only help you to remember your dreams but they also get you in the mindset that dreams are important. I used to have the same problem as you - I never remembered my dreams! The way I started remembering them was telling myself before I fell asleep that I would remember my dreams. I know it doesn’t sound like much but it really works - just be sure you really mean it and aren’t just saying it! If you do that you’ll have a much better record of remembering them. At first you’ll probably only remember one but over time you’ll start to remember more than one per night.
Dream signs are things or places that keep recurring in your dreams. For example, I work at a Wal-Mart while I go to college, and tons of my dreams end up taking place there. So I use this information by doing a ton of reality checks while I’m working there. That way I usually do a reality check when I’m dreaming at the Wal-Mart and LD away! Really the only way to find out what your dream signs are is to keep your dream journal for a while and look back to find recurring people or places. Then just do a reality check every time you encounter that thing in real life and it’ll carry over into your dream life 100%!
As for the realness of LDs, I find that they vary. Some seem as real as the waking world, and some are pretty fuzzy. Your level of control will probably vary from dream to dream as well. There are things you can do to increase your control, such as shouting “Increase Lucidity!” or spinning around, but they don’t always make the dream as clear as day! Don’t take that as a bummer though - some of my favourite LDs that I cherish the most were pretty hazy affairs!
Also, you said in your question about dream signs that you weren’t sure how to realise you are dreaming. There’s a ton of information about that all over the web, but one of the best places is right here at LD4all! Go to the Quest for Lucidity forum and you’ll find a whole list of discussions about how to get lucid. Look over some of the more popular techniques and experiment around! Different techniques work better for different people. I myself get great results by using RCs alone. I suggest that whatever technique you do end up using, you still do several RCs throughout the day. Oh, and never neglect your dream journal - every time I neglect it my LD life suffers as a result!
Welcome to LD4all, and welcome to the world of lucid dreaming! Here you’ll find tons of like-minded people to support you. Good luck! 