Exploring Portal Fiction: A Guide to the Sub-Genre of New Worlds

Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: What do these stories have in common? They're all classic examples of the popular portal fiction subgenre!

What is portal fiction, and how do you write a portal story well? Read on for our tips and learn how to use portals to send your heroes from one world to another!

What is portal fiction?

Portal novels revolve around a protagonist who journeys from the familiar primary world into an alternate secondary world. It captures the essence of escapism and wonder by transporting readers and characters into realms brimming with adventure, magic, and mythical creatures.

The key characteristics of this subgenre include:

Portals: At the heart of every portal story lies the portal itself. It serves as the gateway or bridge, enabling the hero's transition from the primary world to the secondary world. Portals can take various forms, such as enchanted objects, mysterious doorways, magical wardrobes, or even natural phenomena like whirlpools or tornadoes.

Transportation: Once the hero steps through the portal, they are transported from their mundane existence into a realm teeming with fantastical elements. This transportation can be instantaneous or may involve a journey through time, space, or dimensions, adding an element of mystery and awe to the narrative.

Worlds: Portal fiction contrasts the ordinary primary world and extraordinary different world, often filled with mythical creatures, unique landscapes, and their own set of rules and magic systems. The secondary world serves as the primary setting, offering endless opportunities for world-building and immersion.

Tips for writing a portal fantasy novel

Portal stories are often found in the fantasy genre, with the main character traveling to another world from our real world. However, these tropes can be applied to other fiction genres, so if your portal novel is science fiction or speculative fiction, these tips will be helpful to you, too!

World-Building and Setting

Create your primary world

The primary world serves as the familiar backdrop for the contrastingly secondary world. Balancing realism and fantasy is crucial for creating a believable primary world. To make an engaging primary world, consider the following:

Establish a relatable starting point: Effective storytelling requires a well-defined, authentic primary world that resonates with readers. This entails creating relatable characters, settings, and conflicts rooted in recognizable reality.

Cultivate a sense of normalcy: The primary world should initially appear ordinary, offering readers a baseline. Focus on familiar details to make the fantastical stand out.

Incorporate realistic details: Include realistic elements of the primary world, such as social dynamics, cultural nuances, and everyday routines.

Introduce subtle hints of magic or wonder: Incorporate subtle hints of magic or extraordinary experiences into stories set in non-fantastical worlds to add depth and intrigue. This foreshadowing builds anticipation and lays the foundation for the hero’s transition into the secondary world.

Create your fantasy world

To craft an enchanting and dangerous secondary world, consider the following:

Develop a central concept: Identify a unique idea or theme that separates your secondary world. It could be a specific magic system, a distinctive geography, or a cultural aspect that shapes the world's dynamics.

Establish consistent rules: The secondary world should have its own internal logic and consistency. Define the rules of magic, limitations, and the impact of the hero's actions on the world.

Create the Inhabitants: Populate the secondary world with diverse and memorable characters. Develop their histories, motivations, and relationships with the hero and each other.

Map out the Geography: Map out the physical landscape of the secondary world. Consider how geography shapes the inhabitants' lives, influences conflicts, and provides opportunities for the hero's journey.

Define the Culture: Delve into the social structures, customs, traditions, and belief systems of the secondary world. Explore how culture impacts characters' behavior, societal norms, and interactions.

Craft the doorway

The portal is a pivotal element, serving as the conduit between the primary and secondary worlds. Here are two common types of portals:

Magical Objects, Doors, or Gateways:

Magical objects, enchanted doors, or gateways serve as the passage into the secondary world. These objects have mystical properties and can be ancient artifacts or even ordinary items filled with extraordinary powers. Portals hold great significance in storytelling, acting as the start of a hero's journey. Activation often requires unique conditions like riddles or prophecies. This adds mystery to the narrative and highlights the transformative power of the journey.

Some examples of these types of portals include the magical wardrobe The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, and the ruby red slippers in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

Natural Phenomena or Hidden Locations:

Naturally occurring portals in portal fantasy can be mystical gateways, ancient ruins, sacred forests, or even natural phenomena integral to the secondary world's lore, culture, and magic. These passages may connect various parts of the secondary world or act as gateways to unknown realms.

Examples of these portals include the tornado in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, and the rabbit hole in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Establish the rules and limitations for the portal

How the Portal Functions and Operates:

Define the mechanics of the portal and how it operates. Does it require a specific action, incantation, or trigger to activate? Does it have a fixed location, or can it appear in different places? Understanding the portal's functionality allows you to create consistent and logical interactions between characters and their environment.

Conditions for Entering and Exiting the Portal:

Setting conditions for entering a portal, ranging from time of day to mindset or potential ramifications, intensifies the stakes of the hero's journey. By defining limitations, such as entry restrictions and time limits, the world gains more depth, and the portal avoids turning into a mere plot device.

Craft your characters

A core element of this style of book is the hero's journey. In this genre, the hero is often motivated by a desire for adventure, escape, or a search for meaning. Define the hero's initial motivation that drives them to enter the secondary world. It could be a personal goal, self-discovery, or a mission to save a loved one. The secondary world provides a backdrop for the hero's growth, allowing them to discover hidden strengths, confront inner conflicts, and learn valuable life lessons. Their transformation should be meaningful and impact the hero, the secondary world, and its inhabitants.

Secondary characters shape the hero's journey, offering guidance, friendship, or opposition. Allies, mentors, or adversaries explore their dynamics for conflict, support, and emotional depth. Secondary characters serve key functions in the narrative. They provide comic relief, knowledge, wisdom, or present moral dilemmas. They also offer a different perspective on situations, cultures, or belief systems. This enriches the worldbuilding and adds a layer of depth to the thematic exploration. Secondary characters must be well-rounded and integral to the plot, with their own goals, conflicts, and development.

Writing a "fish out of water" character in the portal world

The hero becomes a "fish out of water" in the new realm they encounter after passing through a portal. This term refers to a character who feels out of place, unfamiliar with the customs, rules, and societal norms of the world they have entered. Here's how to write this scenario effectively:

Establishing the disparity:

Establish disparities between the hero's knowledge and experiences and the world they encounter using vivid descriptions and character encounters. Highlight differences in language, etiquette, technology, and belief systems to accentuate the hero's unfamiliarity.

Utilizing the hero's perspective:

To portray the "fish out of water" scenario, delve into the hero's thoughts, observations, and reactions using deep POV. This empathizes readers with their struggle and their sense of unease.

Humor and conflict:

The "fish out of water" situation often lends itself to moments of humor or conflict. Use these to create comedic relief or to drive the plot forward. The hero can grow and develop through misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and cultural clashes as they learn to adapt and overcome obstacles.

Showing adaptation and growth:

Illustrate progress through interactions, increasing understanding, and ability to overcome challenges unique to the new world.

Highlighting universal themes:

The "fish out of water" scenario can highlight universal themes of identity, belonging, and cultural differences, and reflect on shared aspects of being human regardless of cultural context.

Ready to explore new magical worlds?

We’ve explored the fascinating genre of portal stories and discovered the essential elements and techniques for sending your characters to new universes! By understanding and implementing these key points, writers can create immersive and enchanting stories that whisk readers away through a magical gateway to a whole new world!