Editing Dr. No (novel) (section)

===Plot inspirations===
In March 1956 Fleming and his friend [[Josephine Hartford Bryce#Ivar Bryce|Ivar Bryce]] accompanied [[Robert Cushman Murphy]] (of the [[American Museum of Natural History]]) and [[Arthur Stannard Vernay]] (of the Flamingo Protection Society) on a trip to a flamingo colony on [[Great Inagua]] in the south of [[the Bahamas]].{{sfn|Chancellor|2005|p=110}}{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=13}} The colony was {{convert|100|sqmi|km2}} of dense [[mangrove swamp]] and salt flats, home to flamingos, egrets and roseate spoonbills;{{sfn|Chancellor|2005|p=110}} the location inspired Crab Key.{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=14}}{{sfn|Lycett|1996|p=287}} Much of the travel overland on Great Inagua was by a swamp vehicle, a [[Land Rover]] fitted with over-large tyres that became the model for the "dragon" used in the story.{{sfn|Chancellor|2005|pp=110–111}}

Fleming's inspiration for the Doctor No character was [[Sax Rohmer]]'s villain [[Fu Manchu|Dr Fu Manchu]], who featured in books Fleming had read and enjoyed in earlier years.{{sfn|Chancellor|2005|p=111}} Aspects of the plot were influenced by Rohmer's work, and Winder observes that the use of the centipede was "a straight steal" from a Fu Manchu novel;{{sfn|Winder|2006|p=v}} other devices from Rohmer's novels included Doctor No's secret lair and the use of the [[mad scientist]] [[Trope (literature)|trope]].{{sfn|Panek|1981|p=213}}

After ''Diamonds Are Forever'' was published in 1956, Fleming received a letter from [[Geoffrey Boothroyd]], a Bond enthusiast and gun expert, who criticised the author's choice of firearm for Bond.{{sfn|Chancellor|2005|p=160}} Boothroyd suggested that Bond should swap his [[Beretta]] for a [[Walther PP|Walther PPK]] 7.65&nbsp;mm, an exchange that made it to the novel.{{sfn|Macintyre|2008|p=132}}

<blockquote>I wish to point out that a man in James Bond's position would never consider using a .25 Beretta. It's really a lady's gun—and not a very nice lady at that! Dare I suggest that Bond should be armed with a .38 or a nine millimetre—let's say a German Walther PPK? That's far more appropriate.<ref name="DT: Boothroyd" /></blockquote>

Boothroyd also gave Fleming advice on the [[Berns-Martin]] triple draw shoulder holster and a number of the weapons used by SMERSH and other villains.{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=15}} In thanks, Fleming gave the MI6 Armourer the name [[Q (James Bond)|Major Boothroyd]] in ''Dr. No'' and M introduces him to Bond as "the greatest small-arms expert in the world".{{sfn|Macintyre|2008|p=132}}

As he had done in his previous novels, Fleming borrowed names from his friends and associates to use in his book; Ivar Bryce's housekeeper, May Maxwell, became Bond's Scottish "treasure" May.{{sfn|Chancellor|2005|p=113}} One of Fleming's neighbours in Jamaica, and later his lover, was Blanche Blackwell: Fleming named the guano-collecting ship in ''Dr. No'' as ''Blanche''.{{sfn|Chancellor|2005|p=113}}{{efn|Fleming later used Blanche as the model for [[Pussy Galore]] in his novel ''[[Goldfinger (novel)|Goldfinger]]'',<ref name="ABR: JB Jamaican" /> while Blackwell gave him a boat called ''Octopussy'', the name of which he used for a [[Octopussy and The Living Daylights#"Octopussy"|later short story]].{{sfn|Chancellor|2005|p=113}}}} His friend [[Patricia Wilder]] found that her nickname of Honey Chile was used for the novel's main female character, and John Fox-Strangways—a friend from the gentlemen's club [[White's]]—saw part of his surname being used for the name of the MI6 station chief in Jamaica.{{sfn|Lycett|1996|pp=81, 295}} Fleming also used the physical descriptions of people he knew; Quarrel, who previously appeared in the novel ''Live and Let Die'', was based on a Jamaican fisherman who often took Fleming shark fishing.{{sfn|Chancellor|2005|p=111}}