i know achieving lucidity takes longer for some people, but i was wondering just how long it can take? i just started and i am determined to do this, but i am, by nature, not a patient person.
on the first attempt my dream was somewhat what i wanted it to be about, but i was far from lucid. second attempt i actually tried using a dream journal and had WAY better than usual dream recall.
but the last 2 nights, nothing. no influence over the dream and next to no recall. so how long can these things take? and am i doing alright so far?
Depends on which method you use, and how well it works for you. I’ve been at it for a little more than a month, and I’ve limited success. Don’t give up though, I haven’t, and I’ve already improved dream recall.
by the way, are there any MP3s that could help or would any sound just distract me and keep me from my goal?
I havn’t had a LD yet, xD I don’t lose patience I lose motivation…
I’ve always found that classical music really takes Hypnagogic Imagery to the next level (I’m partial to Beethoven), but if you’re using uncomfortable headphones you might get woken up at some point.
Keep up with your dream journal and you’ll start seeing success. You’ll get there! 
The most important part is definitely dream recall. If you bring it beyond acceptable, and at good levels, then you’re quite good to go regarding lucidity. If you want results quickly, you can improve your abilities during the day as well! I’d suggest you read this guide for your needs of explanation. 
Good luck! 
Well there is no standart time to learn it…
It took just one week for me and I had 4 ld’s so far. (I’m in ld for about 3-4 weeks)
But there are also people who can’t do it in months. I would recommend practicing dream recall at first, and when you can remember about 2-3 dreams a night move on to a technique (Don’t take the “rules” of the tutorials too serious because it is better if you develop your own style of the technique, believe me 
)
friday morning i had pretty clear memories of three dreams. since then, i can only remember one dream with any clarity. milk before bed seems to be helping though. i’ve been trying that stop, drop,and roll thing, but i cant get my stupid eyes to stop moving and messing it up. but last night, the left side of my hip just randomly felt like it jerk upwards a little bit. whats with that?
I’ve personally been trying since my join date (I’ve yet to memorize this), and I’ve only just started having lucid dreams, about this week. Really depends on your method, I think I’ve found mine, and how committed you are to doing it. I’ve been really dedicated, I’ve at least tried MILD every night, usually trying WILD every night since I began, and it’s just now working for me. Some people get it straight away, some don’t, you just have to be patient and persist.
It really depends on your mood and the things you have in your mind.
When I first found out about LDing I had one on my first (or second, I can’t remember) try and after that I found it sort of easy to get lucid.
Then I got tired and stopped for a few months, and now I find it very difficult to have one, because I constantly have something on my mind and I am always anxious about something. To become lucid you usually need a clear mind…
problem! ive never really been able to get my mind clear. i always have a song stuck in my head, or just totally random thoughts. any tips?
If any thought persists, it means that it is actually perpetrated by the conscious mind, it is you that feeds it. So a way to stop would be thinking about something else, focusing on the background noise, getting distracted in any way, you gotta stop thinking about it in any way 
Besides, specifically for songs, I often manage to get freed from one by singing it once, including all those parts that I didn’t before (not just the chorus I was repeating over and over XD ), then focusing on any matter, or even before finishing that if I feel like it.
trust me, i’m very familiar with this problem…like you mentioned before you’re not a very patient person by nature, and let me break it to you, Lucid dreaming is just the thing that will teach you the virtues of patience…First up, try to take a bit of curiosity in regular dreams, try to interpret them, look closely into your subconscious…these things will keep you interested in dream recall and sustenance of your dream journal…(hope you have one)
about clearing-up-your-mind-issue, that is obviously easier said than done…there are certain practices right before you go to bed like mental replay of the day that past by, plan the next day, count your blessings and stuffs…from my side i can suggest meditation which again needs practice, conscious efforts and not to mention patience…
I was very much like you but my obsession with LDing has helped me change a lot (in a good way) and i feel like i’ve recreated myself…you should know that i’ve been here for 4 months and still struggling with short LDs issue, but one thing i’m sure about now, is that i’m carrying the right spirit… 
i ran into yet another problem: inconsistent dream recall. first few nights i did alright. i remembered one each morning and wrote it in my dream journal. then i went 2 nights with zero dream recall. then remembered THREE dreams and wrote them all down. then a couple nights with one dream. then THREE nights with ABSOLUTELY NO DREAM RECALL. finally remembered another dream this morning.
i tell myself repeatedly that i will remember my dreams when i wake up. but it is very inconsistent. also, my brain is cruel. on my second night, i had a dream that i had a lucid dream. it was short and VERY uninteresting. then this morning, i had a whole series of false awakenings in which i woke up, remembered a dream, and wrote it down. then i woke up. saw my page for this morning was blank. then i proceeded to contemplate punching a small infant(has to be small. don’t want it fighting back, now do i?), and instead punched my wall. 
anyway, any tips on gaining that consistency? 
Dream recall has a tendency to be inconsistent. What I can say that your average amount of dreams recalled per night will likely still increase over time (give it another two or three weeks).
Sometimes I remember 8 dreams in one night, sometimes just snippets of 1 short uninteresting one. It really depends on your mood, (subconscious) focus, sleep, etc.
Try to keep a steady sleeping rhythm (8 hours a day, at roughly the same times). If you sleep from 2am to noon on one day, and from 11pm to 5am on another, your body can’t get used to a pattern. I don’t know how busy your schedule is, but try to sleep for 7-8 hours a day and make a bit of an effort to go to bed at roughly the same time every day, give or take an hour or two at the most.
Dream recall is more a matter of discipline, once you get used to how to remember one IMHO. It is the intent, no matter what happens, to immediately remember your dreams once you wake up, and write them down as soon as you get a coherent picture.
If I had little will in stating my intent to remember, I forget quickly when I wake up. If I am determined that night, I have great recall, because I am able to keep hold of all the dreams I had, by catching them early.
So be determined. You had dreams, you had a lot of those at that, you just need to think about what you were doing before you woke up. Best wishes to all of you 
i try wild everytime i go to sleep, never works but when i go to sleep after i tried that i get dreams XD its weird…
How is that weird? If you try a WILD, on any case you raised your current level of consciousness, so you’ll be able to participate more into next dreams and recall them better.
i remembered a dream this morning, but for the last week or so, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!! i try every night to remember my dreams but in the morning i don’t remember any. writing in the journal is supposed to help, but it’s hard to write what you don’t remember. oh, well…i’ll just have to keep trying.
by the way, anyone know a good site to download free binural beats? i heard they help, but all the sites i’ve tried cost money. if i had the money to spend, i would because it’s totally worth it, but i dont.
I can actually make Binural Beats with Gnural just PM me if you want some ill send u my Email.Then send me an Email with the song you want converted into a Binural Beat attached. I dont charge fellow Dreamers i would want them to achieve their goals … I Only Charge people who want them @ school 