As for the advice. I do think it's perhaps fair to say that reading good material is foundational to being able to think well enough to write good material, however that only takes you so far; to write is the only way to get better at writing. So the advise exists in a tension with that reality; I don't think it's accurate to say that reading is the MOST important, that's like saying that eating is the most important aspect of becoming a chef. Perhaps it is foundational but it will not take you all the way, there is something essential to chefness that lies beyond eating.