How do you describe characters going through portals?

[Deishaman]

Hi,
So in my wip there's these portals in the grass that leads from earth to the "underworld". And pretty much I struggle with describing anything magical.
Thanks In advance.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Hi,
So in my wip there's these portals in the grass that leads from earth to the "underworld". And pretty much I struggle with describing anything magical.
Thanks In advance.

My first thought here is Alice falling down the rabbit hole, which is always worth a read. My second thought was the Floo Network in Harry Potter.

Bear in mind that you don't have to describe (or even explain) the magic itself. Perhaps just concentrate on the thoughts of the person travelling.

 

[Swank]

"Darrel fell through the portal in the grass into the underworld."

 

[THX1138]

I would think more about describing a kind of threshold to indicate the location of the portal. Like a thin ring of clover or something like that.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

You can make the transfer through the portal a lengthy process with loads of special effects, or it could just be a sudden sharp shock for the character at finding themselves in a completely different place with no idea of what happened (or even that anything did happen, except that ... there they are).

Or anything in between.

It's up to you which way to handle this, based on the plot and your style of writing. Also whether such portals are common and expected in your world. (If they aren't common or expected then just make sure not to make the experience of the character sound as trivial as stepping into an elevator or opening the door in his house. If they are an everyday sort of thing, particularly for that character, then you can be as brief and straight-forward as you like—although probably not the first time your readers see this happen to one of your characters. After all, it may be a common experience for that character but not for your readers.)

 

[JunkMonkey]

I would have thought that anyone going through a portal would, after that big breath and first hesitant step (think new characters in Stargate), would be more interested in what is on the other side than the actual act of stepping through.

If going through them is a commonplace event in your world why describe it at all? I don't think 'Wow! I'm going through a doorway!' when I enter a shop. I'm usually busy thinking about what I'm going to do in there without the list which I stupidly left in the car....

 

[Pyan]

"Jumped" with a capital J? Or italics? Or both? Not keen on "fell", as it suggests an accident.

"Darrel took a deep breath and Jumped through the portal in the grass into the underworld."

"Darrel took a deep breath and jumped through the portal in the grass into the underworld."

"Darrel took a deep breath and Jumped through the portal in the grass into the underworld."

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Not keen on "fell", as it suggests an accident.

Based on the original post, I assumed it was an accident.

And depending on what is meant by "underworld" it might not even be a place that one would choose to go to, and only stumble into by accident.

(Perhaps Deishaman will explain exactly what the circumstances are, which would help us in giving appropriate and specific advice.)

 

[Pyan]

Based on the original post, I assumed it was an accident.

Yes, I kind of assumed it was a voluntary action, and the protagagonist meant to do it as part of getting from A to B. If it was an accident, "fell" would work.

 

[Phyrebrat]

If you’ve no aptitude or ideas, I suggest AI might be of help. They like to write other people’s ideas, too

 

[Danny McG]

In Star Trek TOS it didn't explain the transporter beam or any side effects for a few episodes - they simply stood in it and then sparkled to someplace new

 

[The Big Peat]

What's your favourite book containing a portal? How does the author do it there?

 

[DaCrazyKat29]

Depends how you want to write it to be honest, like Teresa Edgerton said, you can either make it a quick the main character is suddenly somewhere else sort of thing, or you could describe every detail. If you want some visuals to help I recommend gameplays where you go through portals (like subnautica or minecraft) and just seeing how they do it, then (If you’re going for the more long-winded version) try and adjust the description to what the portal you have in mind looks like and would feel like, how long it would take etc

 

[Deishaman]

Based on the original post, I assumed it was an accident.

And depending on what is meant by "underworld" it might not even be a place that one would choose to go to, and only stumble into by accident.

(Perhaps Deishaman will explain exactly what the circumstances are, which would help us in giving appropriate and specific advice.)

Thanks for the comment.
So basically in my fantasy world there's where creatures from a world that's under earth can fly up to their world's sky, which leads them to earth through grass.
I hope somebody understands, I can't really explain it better.

 

[tinkerdan]

I would gather with those who wonder if this is something common.
With open doors we commonly just open and go through them and perhaps notice if we have gone from rain to dry or cold to worm or hot to cool environments. Or in many cases we stand outside sweating or freezing or sheltered under an umbrella while at the mercy of someone on the other side--hoping they heard the doorbell, if it in fact works--does it work?, better knock.

In my stories--that take place in space--impossible portals are like jump gates into jumpspace. The only reason they are described is because there are questions about where the technology came from, whether it is being used efficiently and if there is a better way then why not use it. It all boils down to laws created out of sketchy moral and political issues. Presently what they use create some rather uncomfortable physical side effects while the jump takes place so those get described more than what it is they travel through. In fact most people can't see what they are going through without the help of technological devices that detect the opening. Describing that can be a bit fun. And under varying circumstances the can be in this strange area of different space--that too can be interesting to describe.

The point is that whatever you make has whatever aspects you give it and the best advice is to put it in words that best fit the story and wont leave the reader scratching their head too much, unless the point is to leave the reader scratching their head in bemusement. (I admit to having moments of the latter worked out in my writing.)

 

[Dan Jones]

"Darrel fell through the portal in the grass into the underworld."

Now this... this is top stuff right here.

 

[Steve Harrison]

I used a storm and specifically the whirlpool within it to get my characters and their ship from 1795 to the 21st century.

In view of my complete ignorance, I considered this perfectly plausible scientifically...

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Check out how I do it in Tommy Catkins, where Tommy moves from the real world to Onderwater. He has to "dive" in. There was a similar scene in Stranger Things.

 

[sknox]

Consider three approaches.

One, the narrator describes what happens. This is what you did when you said creatures from the underworld "fly up" through grass to the over world (our world).

Two, characters in the story watch it happen. You can describe that however you like. It might happen instantaneously; they seem to disappear into the grass. Or, from the underworld viewpoint, someone watches someone else fly upward until they are lost to sight. That latter raises some interesting questions.

Three, you describe it from the person going through. You can have this happen instantly--first they're here, then they're there, with no sensation whatsoever. There could be a moment of disorientation that you can handle any number of ways, involving one or more senses if you wish. Or it can take some time, like going through a tunnel, with as much description as you want.

These are not mutually exclusive. For example, if one of the creatures speaks, they could say "we just fly up and here we are" or something similar. you could also have secondary characters witness someone go through the portal. Finally, you could follow the MC through the portal, with full description.

The key to all this is to leave off thinking about this as a problem of description. This is something that happens in your story, so get down in there with your characters and imagine how they see it and how they react. Standing outside the story is for editors.

 

[Wayne Mack]

I would address this in three phases: before, during, and after.

Before, only if this is an expected transit, would be either fear or anticipation.

During, if this is a simple portal, would be near instantaneous and would be described by simple feelings: nausea, falling, heat, cold, pressure, bright light, darkness, etc. If it is an extended transit, something like a tunnel rather than a portal, then one could have a more magical feel. I think this would largely be what the PoV sees rather than feels: flashing lights, mystical creatures, three headed dogs, other travelers, etc.

After, primarily if this is the first visit, would describe the destination with all senses in play. If the PoV has been there before, then it is a little more difficult to provide the description; perhaps focus on something that has changed since the last visit.