The Revolutionary War Starter Writing Sprint
You've done the research. You have the pension files, the muster rolls, the lineage society application. You have the names and the dates. But the story isn't written yet.
This Sprint is the bridge.
Over three one-hour live sessions, you'll take one Revolutionary War ancestor from pile-of-evidence to written opening section, using AI to build historical context without inventing facts. The work is small on purpose. The deliverables are concrete. The format is built for people who feel anxious about both the writing part and the AI part.
By 3:00 PM ET Thursday, you will have:
One ancestor chosen with a claimed story type (patriot, Loyalist, unaligned, woman on the home front, indentured or enslaved, morally complicated)
A one-page historical context brief for your ancestor's specific place and year, built from your own evidence
A written opening section of 400–800 words using probability language and an honest narrative structure
A finishing plan with dates for your next three chapters, so you can complete the story before July 4
The format
Each session follows the same rhythm. Ten minutes of teaching and live demo. Two small work blocks (5–7 minutes, then 15 minutes) with a check-in between. Ten minutes of sharing what you produced. Ten minutes to wrap and brief the next day.
You work with your own ancestor, your own records, and Claude (free tier is fine). I'm live in chat during both work blocks.
Who this is for
Beginners with AI. Beginner writers. Family historians who have done the research but freeze at the blank page. DAR and SAR members who want to turn documented lineages into stories their families will actually read.
Who this isn't for
Published authors. Writers who already have a drafting routine. This is an on-ramp, not a masterclass.
What you need
The Revolutionary War Writing Workbook by Denyse Allen. Available on Amazon in paperback ($19.99) and Kindle ($9.99). Required. Purchased separately.
Evidence files for one Revolutionary War ancestor (pension file, lineage app, census records, wills, muster rolls — whatever you have).
Claude.ai account (free tier is enough).
About 90 minutes of light pre-work the week before, delivered to your inbox after registration closes.
Dates and times
Tuesday, June 2, 2026 | 2:00–3:00 PM ET — Choose your story
Wednesday, June 3, 2026 | 2:00–3:00 PM ET — Build the context
Thursday, June 4, 2026 | 2:00–3:00 PM ET — Draft the opening
Recordings
Each session is recorded and posted to the Chronicle Makers Skool community the same evening. Registered participants have 30 days of replay access from June 4.
Price
$76. Yes, for 1776.
Chronicle Makers Skool members attend live at no additional cost. Your registration link is inside the Skool community.
Registration closes Tuesday, May 26, 2026, One week before Day 1. This gives your book time to arrive and gives you time to finish the pre-work. Seats cap at 50 and prior Sprints have sold through before the close date.
About Denyse Allen
Denyse is the founder of Chronicle Makers and author of The Revolutionary War Writing Workbook, Pennsylvania Vital Records Research (2022), and Archives in Pennsylvania for Genealogy Research (2023). She's been teaching family historians how to use AI to finish the stories they started for more than a decade.