hi karl and welcome to DV. i know from experience that wild isnt always the best technique to start off with, but that doesnt mean you should stop trying. i started with lucid dreaming almost a week ago and i wanted to start with wild too. though i continued to get halfway there and somehow wake up. none of my lds have been wilds yet, but i know enough about them to give you a little help

for your swallowing problem, you are able to swallow without waking yourself up, you just have to try to pay little to no attention to it.

also, have you been practicing a wbtb with your wild attempts? if not i would suggest you wake up after 5hrs of sleep and then try to wild. it should be close after or during rem.

rem patterns are different from person to person, so it is hard to say.

i wish you luck with your dreaming, and dont worry if you cant wild. there are many other techniques that you may find easier or more interesting. dont give up