  One aim of the equal load sharing fiber bundle model is to describe the
critical behavior of failure events. One way of accomplishing this, is through
a discrete recursive dynamics. We introduce a continuous mesoscopic equation
catching the critical behavior found through recursive dynamics. It allows us
to link the model with the unifying framework of absorbing phase transitions
traditionally used in the study of non-equilibrium phase transitions. Moreover,
it highlights the analogy between equal load sharing and spinodal nucleation.
Consequently, this work is a first step towards the quest of a field theory for
fiber bundle models.
