You might consider using some audio technology to set your brain up for lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming is a "skill set" and as with any skill anyone can learn it and a life time devoted to refinement/improvement. Binaural beat brain wave entrainment CDs with a pronounced Theta wave component work quite well. Over the years, I have learned protocols for “pure” (non-assistive) lucid dreaming from several sources inclusive of the Apache people and the Hakka. All the approaches work … more a matter of personal preference than anything else I suppose.
I'm a bit confused regarding your "reality check" strategy as I find such a direct, conscious practice counter to authentic lucid dreaming. As for relying on a prompt to verify/confirm your won experiences, that too, is counter to lucid dreaming. Perhaps it is simply a matter of nomenclature or it could be that we are working from disparate conceptual platforms.