ROBIN CODY has written extensively about the nature and people of the West. In 1986, he received the Western Writers of America's Silver Spur Award for nonfiction. Cody is perhaps best known for his highly acclaimed, coming-of-age novel, "Ricochet River," published in 1992. His most recent work, "Voyage of a Summer Sun" (1995), is a nonfiction account of the author's solo canoe trip down the Columbia River, from its source in Canada to the Pacific Ocean. He is currently working on a book about the evolution of species on the Columbia River since Lewis & Clark. His workshop entitled "Writing In the Natural World" was presented as part of the University of Oregon Literary Nonfiction "Writing About" series.

Q: What were you trying to teach your students in the "Writing In the Natural World" workshop?
A: The guiding principle was "good writing weaves place into narrative to make literature." We practiced weaving natural imagery through whatever it was they were writing--regardless of the subject. That's why I called it "Writing In" rather than "Writing About" the natural world. For example, in one exercise I asked them to write about their life as a river. They had to describe it in terms of its sources, or tributaries, or swamps, or dammed up places, or ripples and pools, the shallow spots, the deep spots, the boulders in the way. This kind of imagery can add to the depth of whatever one is writing about.

Q: Today's bestseller lists seem dominated by books about the natural world. Why has this become such a popular subject?
A: I think the world is changing and that our culture is becoming more aware of the natural world and the place of humans within it. Rather than just bringing nature to it's knees, we're almost coming full circle to the way the Indians, the first people to live here, viewed nature. In my writing, whether fiction or nonfiction, I try to weave the natural word into what's going on in relationship with the human world.

Q: With success in both genres, do you consider yourself more as a writer of fiction or nonfiction?
A: The truth is I started thinking about myself as a fiction writer, but I don't any more because the processes are so similar. I put the same kind of energy and thought into writing a true story well as I do with fiction. In "Voyage of a Summer Sun" I was trying to describe characters, keep some dramatic tension, hook people at the beginning--all the techniques of fiction were there. I think it [nonfiction] is just as creative.

Q: It seems most authors have a special technique, or system, for taking and transcribing their field notes? What works for you?
A: For the Columbia River book in particular, it had to be specific paper, a write-in-the-rain notebook like surveyors use, because I couldn't wait for conditions to be dry to take notes. I kept one with me in my shirt pocket so I could jot a word phrase that jumped into my mind as I was canoeing. It's the same way when I'm in the car or at bedside. I find that if I don't write something down right away, it's likely to be gone when I think about it. I use 5x7 note cards. I probably throw away 4 out of 5 cards, but when the fifth one turns out to be a gem, I'm glad I wrote that one down at the time.

Q: How do you turn those 5x7 cards into a draft?
A: The first draft is always longhand for me. It's a matter of habit. Then everything beyond the first draft is on computer and even transcribing the hand written notes on to machine is more than transcribing, it's an editing process.