I agree with that. For me this part is about doing something I never did while programming, but I did as an amateur actor for a couple of years. That is: what happens on the page needs to surprise you, like if events and words flow as you are only the tool, but happen independently of your will. It's a complex state to achieve, but I think that if you fail to do it, the reader can tell.
This can be as true of a Science Fiction novel as of any other. It doesn't mean the work has to appear "elevated", but it is the heart of the thing even in a fairly generic work.