Medieval fantasy stories have a great aesthetic but there are so many of them that they start to blend together. The fantasy genre has endless possibilities for many different kinds of worlds, and I think it's time we started exploring those possibilities.

Different eras of history are defined by different stages in the development of society that make them fascinating to study and write about. There's the early days when we were just learning how to coexist in a larger society, the industrial revolution where we were introduced to high tech solutions to our problems at the expense of the environment, the increased globalization of the modern era, and the invention of affordable space travel sometime in the future, just to name a few things.

Including magic in any of these stages could make for fascinating conflict and thought-provoking worldbuilding.

The way human culture changes over the years would also change how people view magic. How would somebody in the 1970's view magic differently from somebody in the 1930's? How would people in different countries use magic differently?

Fantasy is my favorite genre but worldbuilding can get lazy. It feels like fantasy worlds have been put in a box, which is a shame because when it comes to writing fantasy, the only limit is the human imagination.

So, to fantasy writers, think about your favorite historical era. What fascinates you about it? How could you expand on that in your worldbuilding?

How would magic influence the development of weapons other than swords and bows? What about guns, bombs, tanks, cannons, planes? Would the rules of combat change?

What would the laws look like? Would there be prohibition on magic or on certain kinds, and how would the laws apply differently to different people? How would protests be organized? How would civil change happen?

How would the magical elements affect democracy? Would there be bureaucratic red tape? What would the education system look like? What about disability accommodations?

Of course you do not have to stay rooted to our world or try to create an alternate timeline of Earth, but the development of an original world should not stop at medieval-era technology and government systems.

Fantasy has infinite possibilities for worldbuilding and it would be great to see those possibilities realized. Don't feel obligated to keep your setting rooted in Tolkien or Arthurian tradition. The great thing about genre fiction is that it pushes the limits of human imagination and challenges us to think beyond what we see.