THE FATE OF FATES ON FIRE

I vividly recall that when I started Fates on Fire, I had absolutely no clue as to what I was doing. Obviously, I had the facility to write, but as far as all of the behind the scenes and other technical aspects of running a website were concerned, I was effectively clueless.

I did, however, have an extremely clear and well defined vision of what I wanted to achieve. So, with little more than a “WordPress for Dummies” book, a newly minted Bluehost subscription, and my never-flagging self-confidence, I plunged directly into the abyss.

In retrospect, while somewhat intimidating at first, particularly the site design and layout, it was all relatively easy to get my head around. And, as occurs with newly acquired skills, it got easier and I became more proficient over time.

So, here I am now nearly half-a decade later with close to 100 articles and a comparatively small, yet dedicated readership that has continued to incrementally grow over time. In addition, my writing has been featured by respectable online and print entities, and I have had a positively marvelous time throughout the process. In my estimation, the project has been a monumental success.

A key part of that original vision is that I knew from the onset that while I was going to launch my site into the realm of Financial Independence & Early Retirement (FIRE), I did not want to unwittingly paint myself into a corner by having to have every article be about FIRE. Knowing full well I’d grow weary of that topic, I deliberately left things open, thereby allowing me the ability to write about whatever I pleased.

I very much thank my former self as this is what has precisely occurred. My initial year was primarily focused on FIRE-related topics, but in reviewing the trend over time, those articles became increasingly more infrequent to the point of near extinction. To wit, in the past 3 years, I have only written 1 article about early retirement. In conjunction with this, has been the decrease in the overall number of articles published in the past couple of years.

As has been said, “nothing ever lasts forever” and all things move toward their end. Or, perhaps become a chrysalis?

INFLECTION POINT

For the very few paying attention, the incremental, deleterious trend of publishing activity began to occur in early 2022. Prior to that, I had religiously published 24 articles each year since the site’s inception in February of 2019. As I mentioned in the 4^th Annual Report this year, it was a function of a confluence of factors including my emphasis on writing the “Rock ‘N Roll Zero” book and the intensity of my travel schedule. This is entirely true. However, it also coincided with a period in which I began to become somewhat bored with Fates on Fire. Not the act of writing per se, as I was actually doing far more than years prior, it just happened to be outside the purview of Fates.

With over 90 articles, I was getting perilously close to the precipice of having nothing more to really say – about anything. My thoughts, experiences and opinion on virtually every topic imaginable was, at that point, exceedingly well documented. I had articles planned, but part of me knew that they would be of essentially no value as any consistent reader would already know my position well enough they could probably write the thing themselves.

It would be decidedly unfair to say that I was down on Fates on Fire more than I was impassioned by writing my book which I found far more freeing, interesting and artistically satisfying. The ante was upped when I temporarily moved to Vancouver, WA (aka Portland metro area) and began to meet and befriend all manner of legitimate writers, from established, traditionally published authors to indie ones. From graphic novelists to zine creators to corporate advertising writers.

This drew me further into my non-Fates writing and it was positively amazing. Sadly, Mr. Fate was somewhat neglected, but by no means down for the count. That said, I openly contemplated the idea of self-destructing the site, but it didn’t make sense, so even with an ever increasing dearth of articles, I continued to stumble into 2023. However, I knew there was, assuredly, a fate for Fates on Fire and that, given time, the future vision would become clear.

Further portents began to reveal themselves in May when I was contacted by a prominent UK music site soliciting my journalist services to cover a number of large-scale music events and anticipated re-union tours here on the West Coast after having sent a copy of the “Rock ‘N Roll Zero” manuscript to the editor. I took the assignment and throughout the process, kept diligent personal notes figuring there might possibly be a story somewhere along the way.

Turns out there was and led me to my begin my 1^st novella, “Rock ‘N Roll Road Show” shortly thereafter. In addition, I had outlined a novelette a few months before based on my time in Vancouver.

I was in Barcelona Spain this past July and began to realize that here I am with a completed book that’s, seemingly, going absolutely nowhere, a novella underway and an outline for another. The former has a chance at getting published, but there is zero market for novellas and novelettes (as verified by my published writer pals). All the while, my writing over at Fates had effectively dried up, but I still wanted to do something with the site.

And that’s when the idea came to me…

Art is a conspiracy; it’s a conspiracy to commit beauty.

Jose Antonio Abreu

FATES ON FIRE PUBLISHING

It was about this time last year where I was invited to attend a cocktail party comprised of authors and other sundry strains of writer. It was both a truly wondrous affair as well as a watershed moment in my life. Because I’m a naturally inquisitive person, I used the opportunity to learn as much about the world of book publishing as possible from a room full of professionals.

I wanted to learn as much as I could about the business in general as well as the nuance between traditional and independent publishing. Over the course of the following 5 hours, it became quite evident that the book publishing business is nearly identical to that of the music business. The latter I am intimately familiar with having worked at record companies as well as being a recording musician for half my adult life.

There was a lot of dialogue and good-natured banter between the traditionally published authors and the independent ones. Again, like the music industry, it was very similar in that traditionally published authors “write the manuscript, hand it in and then it magically becomes a book” with the publishing house handling all the “magic making” behind the scenes. It also can mean loss of control of the project and even the actual writing itself as it’s being funded by an external agency, thereby open to forcible influence at any time and for any reason.

The indie authors argued that they can always retain control and direction over the writing and all other aspects of the book. In addition, they can make significantly more money on a per-sale basis than a traditionally published author. Again, same as the music business. The trade off is that they are exclusively responsible for the “magic making” of the book (aka production, distribution, promotion and all other non-glamourous business-related tasks).

This gave me plenty to think about over the months ahead. I know “Rock ‘N Roll Zero” could absolutely garner some traditional interest, but the novellas will certainly not. That’s when it all came together and I decided to start Fates on Fire Publishing. It would provide a way to get those formally published and, if nothing else, it would be something fun to do while learning new skills, meeting new people and doing some good with art, just like it was 5 years ago when I started this site.

The primary influence of this new endeavor is the sage advice from the legendary writer, Neil Gaiman, which he gave in 2012 during his spellbinding commencement speech at the University of the Arts, entitled, “Make Good Art.” This, in and of itself, is a foundational pillar of my vision – to create a vehicle whereby good art, both my own and that of others, can get out into the world. To create a legitimate business mechanism whose principal objective is to serve as a conspiracy to commit beauty. Starting small, yet with the capacity and scalability to go as big as I care to from there.

The underlying, motivating ideology is also derived from Gaiman’s speech wherein he states, “If you have an idea of what you want to make or what you want to do, just go and do that.

And so I am. The same as I did with learning an instrument, the same as I did with music journalism, the same as I did with starting a band and the same as I did with founding Fates on Fire.

SO WHAT’S NEXT?

I have one last traditional article outlined which I plan to complete and publish in November and, while the timing is both ironic and fortuitous, we’ll close out this incarnation of the site’s near 5-year run with the 2023 Fates on Fire Book Awards. It feels like such a glorious and fitting way to transition into the future.

After the holidays, and some much needed downtime, I’ll begin getting the infrastructure in place for Fates on Fire Publishing. I am already in the process of working on the project plan, but by all reasonable expectations, this should take about 6 months. Perhaps sooner, likely later, as much of this, while similar to a music business, is still uncharted territory to me.

During this time, the Fates website will continue in its present state with all previous articles available to anyone in the universe with a connection to le Internets. I’m also not ruling out any future articles should the mood strike.

After that? I don’t know just yet, but my current thought is to package the 2019-2023 articles into a few somewhat topically cohesive volumes (for example, early retirement, music, cultural critique) and make those available as a download. In any event, those 95 essays will not be relegated to bouncing electrons in a cloud somewhere that nobody can access.

However, there is one thing or, I should say, person who will no longer be with us.

THE EARLY-RETIREMENT OF MR. FATE

Unequivocally, one of the most delightful and exhilarating aspects of Fates on Fire is writing in the persona of Mr. Fate. Intriguingly, he has quite a bit to say on the topic of authenticity in the forthcoming article. Unquestionably, he and I are completely aligned ideologically, but perhaps we tend to express ourselves in a slightly differing manner.

If pressed, I’d say that the persona of Mr. Fate is 83% me (Jeffrey) with the remaining 17% an intentional injection of hubris, audacity and acerbic brashness. With all certainty, he’s a bit of a provocateur. His voice seems to be far louder in the cultural critique articles such as A Nation of Junkies, Brand Whores & the Things I No Longer Do Thanks to Financial Freedom series.

Other times, he’s completely absent and you get nothing but pure me, like in The Last Romantic on Earth, When the Word is the Drug & A New Tomorrow Today. It is not lost on me that it’s these articles I am most fond of and believe are among the best I’ve written.

In any event, it’s time for Mr. Fate to enjoy his much deserved and well-earned early retirement. One never knows, I wouldn’t put it past him to take a consulting gig and make a cameo at some point in the future, but for now, please join me in giving him an honorable salute for nearly 5-years of service and a big celebratory hug.

More importantly, thanks to everyone who has engaged with Fates on Fire thus far: readers, supporters, co-conspirators, the offline friends I’ve made, and mostly, my “blog gang” with special shout-outs to Freddy Smidlap and Dave at Accidental Fire for being there since virtually Day 1.

If it weren’t for all of you, there would be no evolution, no progression, no Fates on Fire Publishing. I owe each and every one of you a colossal debt of gratitude and I hope you stay along for the ride if, for no other reason, than to see what comes next.

Let’s start the party now, because the future fate of Fates on Fire looks pretty fucking rad!