Walls and Ceilings - Cracks near skylight

I am about to repaint a bathroom - ceiling and walls. This is on the second floor - there are normal 8 foot ceilings and a recessed skylight which obviously reaches the roof. The ceiling area around the skylight opening is badly cracked and a little warped. The cracks seem to outline the metal braces (I think thats what they are). I need to know how to rectify this problem. I don't want to start scraping away the cracked parts until I know what I should do next. Should I use fiberglass tape and patching plaster? If it would help I can include some photos as soon as I can get them ready.

I would appreciate any help here. Keep in mind that I am a novice at do-it-yourself projects, so I know almost no jargon or typical procedural information.

Thanks

The cracks are likely caused by one [or both] of two things. The framing may have dried out [shrinking] causing the movement that caused the crack or there may have been water damage. Water damage would be evident by brown stains on the ceiling. The metal you see is most likely the corner bead that is nailed to the outside corners of the drywall. After cleaning away all the loose stuff you will have a better idea of what needs done. You may have to renail the corner bead in spots. You will only need tape if there are 2 peices of drywall that connect [not covered by the corner bead]. Joint compound is the easiest material to use for the repair. Let dry between coats and sand as needed.