Thanks, HE. I definitely would try to minimize the presence of trees in the shot, especially if there are any artificial lights in the area that cast light on them and thus give them more exposure time. That's when you get the blurred look. Well, that and when you are using your knee as a tripod, like I was for the first three pictures (heh). The empty shots can be very cool-- I really wish that I had gone to the place where I took the last two pictures sooner than I did-- but I am sure that you could work wonders with some of your abandoned missions/ barns/ homes/ etc. in the foreground.
Expect more misses than hits, though. The pictures I posted happened to come from two of the most violent lightning storms I have ever seen, which happened to roll just south of us two nights in a row while we were visiting family in South Dakota. On my previous attempts (probably only five, but still), I was thrilled if I caught one bolt in a shot. So have patience. It is definately worth it when it works out.