I love this advice. I've consumed tons of people's stories and each person took a different path. When you first start consuming this kind of stuff and noticing that, you get a little miffed, but later you come to the realization dharmon articulates here: there are tons of ways to make it work.
Make a mental note of the advice you like and try it when appropriate. Mix and match to find the cocktail that works best for you. My path is not the canonical one, but it is a path that has worked at least one time. ;-)