As the title says im struggling with my thievery(?) skills , can you guys offer tips on how to stop ending up slaughtering everyone as i've alerted every man and his dog..
Cheers for any tips/help/ useful/trolling comments

Try sneaking.

Watch out for chickens.

They sound the alarm.

• Activate the Thief Stone, so your stealth skills level up faster.
  
• Sneak ALL THE TIME. I've just hit 100 Sneak, after 45 hoursish, and I play this game like it's Splinter Cell.
  
• Light Armor over Heavy (especially once you've got the Sneak perk that means it doesn't weight anything when worn.
  
• Carry nothing other than necessities, the more weight you've got, the louder you are.
  
• Aim for the Sneak attack multiplier perks, and once you've got them go STRAIGHT to Backstab. 15x multiplier, nomnomnom.
  
• Dark Brotherhood Gauntlets give you double backstab. 30x multiplier, MONMONMON.

Ah ok sneak everywhere and the perks are useful , i didnt know about the weight Cheers

Arrows make for GREAT diversions. Shoot your arrow off somewhere and any guards will run to look at it. Slip past in the confusion. I've been using this tactic for ages, it it generally works amazingly.

Ah ok , cheers . How far away should i fire it?

Dark Brotherhood boots.

they allow you to move silently.

Um. I'm not 100 sneak yet, but my thief never gets seen as long as I avoid light areas and don't have a loud companion.

Wherever you want the guards to run to. There is a limit to how far they can hear, but most of my sneaking is done inside where I can't properly see the limits. Just be reasonable.

And remember that the guards will search for you after hearing it. But you can do this while they're searching, making for great escape from guards on your trail.

The dragon shout that throws your voice is useful for distractions.