# Essay writing skills (Case study: Man In Iron Mask)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essay-writing-skills-case-study-man-in-iron-mask/142067>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [December 11, 2002, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essay-writing-skills-case-study-man-in-iron-mask/142067 "2002-12-11T19:13:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/2bfe46/32.png) [@Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xavier)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essay-writing-skills-case-study-man-in-iron-mask/142067/1 "2002-12-11T19:13:14Z")

</div>

Exactly what qualifications are necessary before writing an essay the standard of [Staff report : Who was the “Man In The Iron Mask”?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mmaninmask.html)

In my opinion it is an excellent piece (informative, factual, methodical style), and bar some reservations (a little too much first person - I guess as can be expected really) it deserves accolades.

My point is, how is it that the writer is able to write the essay in such a style? What qualifications (not job-wise - but it would be interesting to note exactly what skills he/she has picked up along the way) are necessary to develop this “technique” of essay-writing into a skill?

It appears as though nothing has been missed out and there is ample probabilistic determination (i.e. what events are likely/what events are unlikely) with critical assessment throughout.

I can’t imagine that there wasn’t absolutely **cartloads** of information to sift through. It’s such a long legend. So how long would it have taken him/her to review all the data and draw conclusions?

There are books out there that teach better essay writing skills but none really give a hands-on approach (it’s usually so general). If anyone has any recommended books by the way, please point me to them as I am desperately in need of this skill.  
So how exactly has he/she moved from point A to Z when completing the essay?  
[Note to mods: I put this in **C on S Reports** b/c it is _this_ particular piece I am interested in].

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essay-writing-skills-case-study-man-in-iron-mask/142067/2 "2002-12-12T00:24:28Z")

</div>

The author of that piece is very pleased and flattered at the compliment. An answer would be far more autobiographical than Xavier would like, but basically the “training” came from:  
(1) - 25 years of writing business reports, which requires condensing massive information into easily digested, somewhat shorter (although you wouldn’t know it from the lengthof the Iron Mask report) reports  
(2) - Faithful reading of Cecil’s columns, and years of working with Ed Zotti (Cecil’s editor)