Writer Orson Scott Card says he's made a living out of selling lies, and for a few more weeks, some of those lies will be on display at BYU.

A selection of Card's work, including early manuscripts and international editions of his books, are on display through Sept. 30 in Brigham Young University's L. Tom Perry Special Collections in the Harold B. Lee Library.

Card, a BYU alumnus, returned to his roots Thursday to give a lecture on fiction writing. He joked that he did not know why the school would go to the trouble to collect his works. He said he just makes up lies, and then sells them to people.

"So many people are giving them away," he said, referring to lies.

His lecture was the inaugural speech of the 2007 House of Learning lectures at the library. It also preceded a reception honoring the collection of his works. Tickets for the free lecture were handed out Thursday morning and were snatched up in only six minutes.

Becki Nuttall, a sophomore from Chicago who is studying English at BYU, said she enjoys writing and appreciated the lecture from the successful alumnus.

"It was kind of inspiring," she said. "I never considered how much what I read affects me."

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Card's best-selling science fiction novel, "Ender's Game."

One reason he enjoys writing fiction, he said, was because it makes the writer an authority. Because the world in a fiction book is made up, the writer is the authority on that world.

Card said he would not try to come up with an alternative explanation of Huckleberry Finn's motives for not turning in the runaway slave Jim, because Card did not write the book.

"The only authority we have for the motives of Huckleberry Finn is the writing of Mark Twain," he said.

While science, news and other information that people view as facts can be debunked, Card said, fiction cannot. Fiction stories are inherently false, so someone could not expose a piece of fiction as a lie.

"You will get no points for your cleverness" for realizing fiction is a lie, he said, amidst laughter from the crowd.

As BYU began requesting papers from Card, he said he could not see any merit in some of his documents. But then, BYU would promptly ask for those very same papers.

Likewise, Card told audience members their own papers will have great importance in the future.

If everyone saved every piece of paper growing up, Card said, the documents would be priceless to their descendants.

"You never know what might matter," Card said.

The author also stressed the idea that every person has a story to tell. He said everyone in the room would have moments of triumph and tragedy in their lives that would be worth knowing. Every person's personal papers, including report cards and other old documents, can one day tell a story.

"I ask you to not lightly throw away scraps that document your life," Card urged listeners.

Audience members listened with rapt attention throughout the lecture, often bursting into laughter. When asked how many had read "Ender's Game," few hands were not raised.

Despite the hourly rush to classes, more than half the audience remained in the auditorium for a question and answer session.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.