Wow, this is actually a really great start for a first-timer. WILD must be natural for you.
The important thing to remember here is not to get discouraged. You are indeed very close to WILD’ing, you just need a way to enter the dream now. If you’re having pretty vivid HI at the stage you described, you can try to “zoom in” to it, like you tried. You just have to remember that it takes practice to do this correctly and that you probably won’t be able to do it for a while. You have to walk the line between falling asleep and remaining conscious, and like I said, it takes practice. Another thing you could try would be to “fall in” to the dream or “roll in” to it.
[The WILD FAQ)
That thread may help.
In any case, good luck, kwikshot. Happy dreaming.