I've been recording my dreams, on-and-off, since 1992. That's a lot of damn dreams. Through it all, via book research & personal observation, I developed a methodology of dreaming that you might find helpful.
WARNING: The more you record & pay attention to your dreams, the more vivid and long and weird they are going to get. Trust me. If at any time during this experiment (which would take several weeks to really kick in) you are too freaked out, just stop recording the dreams. Drop all attention to them, and they will fade out. The Dreamtime can be like an "attention whore".
1. Drink a beverage before going to bed
Want you want, ideally, is to wake up just at the height of the dream when it is really fresh. A great way to do this is to have to pee in the middle of the night. Many times, your full bladder will even be incorporated into the dream: like, you will suddenly find yourself in a restroom in the dream, and the toilets are overflowing water. Apparently the drinking before bedtime routine has been used by fellow hardcore dreamers throughout history.
2. Keep a handy pen and paper by your bedside
Or, do what I do and keep an iPhone (I love the "Notes" app) handy. Doing so will not only aid in your dream recall (the seconds after you wake up are critical), but it will send a clear message to the Dreamtime that you are serious about this endeavor. Seriousness of intent is a crucial element.
3. Read up about dreams
The more you actively study about dreaming and related topics, the better your chances are of having meaningful, vivid dreams. This is extended even to reading stuff about mythology, religion, etc. It's like preparing soil for planting.
4. Eat and drink crazy stuff
It's not just an old wives' tale: you WILL get nightmares and funky dreams if you ingest weird stuff before going to bed. I'm not talking about drugs, but spicy food, stuff with a lot of MSG in it, lots of sugar or artificial sweeteners, alcohol, etc. Now, the full effects of this on your dream recall is somewhat unpredictable. You may get very lucid dreams but immediately forget everything because your brain is so messed up from what you ate or drank. Other times, you could eat this big fast-food meal and go to bed and wake up with a near-religious experience (goosed, no doubt, by the effect of the MSG and diet cola crap on your neurons). Lastly, I've had really lucid dreams on a very empty stomach. Bottom line is, what is in your stomach while sleeping has a big effect on your dreams.
5. Have PMS
I'm sorry guys: but the monthly misery we chicks have to go through is the best way to have lucid dreams with excellent recall. It never fails. PMS is like an open door to Dreamtime, with paid tickets to all the rides. Also: the more severe the PMS, the "better" the dreams. Women are also more intuitive and psychic while having PMS. When one's period actually starts, however, these heightened abilities can really plummet.
There are other methods to have lucid dreams and good recall that I haven't mentioned here: meditation, fasting, ingesting certain types of herbs, listening to "programming" music/tapes, etc. The ones I've listed are just the most immediate and practical.
Have fun, kids!
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