It works differently for all people, but try letting the wish for something to happen envelop you and the releasing it, that is usually all there is to it. you aren't creating magic, you use the background existence of it, so magic is much stronger in some places than others. as for the gate, on the other side it looks a lot like this world, but the magic is stronger, and you will encounter creatures that survive because of that, and of course there will be gods, not like the weak, local sort that you encountered when entering this world. but much stronger, there are no firsthand accounts, but it is rumored that they are in many cases not as intelligent is it may seem and are brutish to no end.
I suppose you'll be needing these, he says, handing you a pair of jeans. they are much too big and you are about to ask for new ones when the thought occurs to you, you try to gather magic, and touch your pants, they immediately shrink to fit you perfectly.
he hands you a sandwich and says, off you go. that's lunch, but try to be back for dinner., you should be able to make a portal fairly easily.