I remember my dreams and sometimes post snipets of them on facebook as my status. Most people wonder what I was on or what I have eaten before bed. The truth is that I remember my dreams because I've kept a dream journal for the past few years (maybe 4 or 5). There are many ways to keep dream journals. This is the way I do it.
I have a journal next to my bed. It has my regular journal as well as my dream journal on loose pages. I use printer paper (or unline paper). I fold it into threes so that I can write on two thirds and the last third is for comments, drawings, maps, etc. I find maps most amusing because sometimes, the maps are really of places I frequent every day but the symbols and the way it's presented to me are completely different. When I do this, I think I'm genius. It's like decoding a very difficult code and finding it's genius in it's simplicity.
I wake up a little early so that I can write any dreams down. Sometimes it takes a while to remember them. Sometimes I write down the little feelings I have about what I may have dreamt about (this is where I suggest most people begin).
All advice about writing dreams mentions-- write it down as soon as you wake up. Sometimes, in a hurry, I'll write little notes to come back to later. Of course, even if I don't come back to it, I capture the main events.
As time goes on, you'll remember your dreams more often. Then, you can start experimenting.
When I first started keeping a journal, I had a check list of different themes that had come up in my dreams-- such as my dad, my school, my childhood home, my boyfriend, etc. This way, if they came up, I'd just check it off. I also used to write themes on the third colum but I grew bored of that. Now, I mostly use it for notes like things I was thinking about that might have been a reason why I had this person or this happen in my dream. Sometimes I add details that I remembered later on.
There are two things I do on occasion that are fun with dreams:
1. Write down a question before going to bed (this may be about something about your future) and in the morning, write down the dream.
When I was thinking about going to grad school, I wrote down the question, "What's my next step?" The dream was that I was on a train to New Haven. This was so clear that I knew that I had to follow it. I moved from California to Connecticut to attend graduate school.
2. Test out lucidity. There's a technique that during the day, look at your watch, look away, and ask "Am I dreaming?" When you look back, it will probably a second or two later.
When I did this, it came up in my dream. I looked at my watch and then my arm felt like it was unable to let me look at my watch again, as if my arm was so heavy or being held back that I couldn't look at it again. I knew I was dreaming because I couldn't look at my watch again.
The purpose this type of lucidity is to only realize you're dreaming, not to control dreams. Sometimes it's helpful to just know you're dreaming so you can enjoy it.
Hope that helps some people who were wondering about my crazy dreams.
