Behold, the black sheep!
My default communication mode is actually set to be as vague and non-informative as possible, if not to lie. It takes an effort to be honest, and a person that will understand and appreciate that honesty and what it implies. But then again, I really don't talk much. I don't have any moral hangups or discomfort about this situation; after all 95% of things you tell to people, they will forget about in a week or less (if they even paid attention). I used to actually be very specific and obsessively honest in my communication, but I realized most people don't give a crap about you and that the truth is really irrelevant. Indeed, many even refuse to believe the truth... People lie to themselves more than I lie to them, anyways... all of life is a fantastic fabrication.
I don't lie to manipulate people, I just defuse compromising situations and keep people at a secure distance, there is just no desire to control and manipulate.
Interestingly enough, I make a point NOT to lie in social situations, I am brutally honest about things I like and dislike, people and my relationship to them (yes, you look fat in that dress, yes, your cooking sucks, your house is ugly, you are poor and stupid, and I was actually forced to come here). I guess that's what some people would call rude, but people tend to come to me months later and say I'm one of the few persons they like because I tell it how it is...
Also, being so jaded I have a very high tolerance of people's lies, as long as they're not about things that really matter or coming from people that really know me and I care about (the rest of humanity is lost to me). After all,
lies are expected. The truth is usually readily apparent in any case, so the lies of others rarely affect me. But if you lie about something big, I
will find out, and I won't ever speak to you again. Since the ideal mate/friend is that which you can be 100% honest with (an ideal most probably unreachable)...
Once, I lied for nearly 3 years about some petty stupid thing, partly out of ego and partly out of experiment, a web of lies so complexly elaborate and detailed, that at some point I believed it was true, and in the end I could not even recall what really happened. I guess that's how myths and history are made.
Now, Tekton's
Decalogue for Successful Mis-Information, Mastering the Arts of Deceit, and Other Untruthful Activities of Convenience 
, in no particular order:
To lie so much and rarely be found out, one must, first of all, be honest and straightforward about most trivial things. Compulsive liars that lie about everything are plainly transparent and never trusted by anyone other than total fools.
Second, one must keep it consistent, and must keep track of the lies that have been told previously: give the same lie every time, and to everyone.
Third, there must be an anchor to reality (or several), details that are clearly true and verifiable. In between these the lies will be squeezed false details that are realistic but unverifiable, which must be kept to the minimum (
never give names or personal details that friends or colleagues might readily tell, in fact, try to keep 3rd parties off your fabrications entirely).
Fourth, always think your lies beforehand, and keep additional details as reserve if people ask too much questions, you don't want to be caught hesitating and scrambling for ill conceived excuses.
Fifth, don't tell if you're not asked. Except > give some detail when first questioned; with the details first and the lies later. If you give the lie first, they'll always ask why? and why? , and you'll sound like you're making excuses on the go.
Sixth, if the lies involve several people, give them the same general story and details, but give each one a unique verifiable detail, this way if they communicate, your story becomes more coherent and believable, not less. In fact, if you are keeping track of different lie streams, you can also tie them together with these details.
Seventh, never, ever depend on another person to sustain your lies: they
will fuck up.
Eight, always be cool, and don't forget to fake surprise or ignorance when appropriate.
Ninth, don't be too certain or too eager to give your details; it can seem too phony and preplanned.
Tenth, prep your lies. If the target is person A, but you're first gonna meet person B, and they are somewhat related, first tell person B. This way you can practice and use person B for added legitimacy, specially if person B is more easily deceived and/or has a good relationship with person A.
Finally, the zeroth law,
only lie when absolutely necessary.
Of course this becomes second nature after a while, and it requires no effort to achieve. Not that I'm advocating it, but it is yet another skill to add to my list of wasted talents.
(Oh woes! Have I fallen from your holy graces?)