Right On Terry,
Do whatever works for you and you'll probably be able to teach yourself faster. There's a pile of different methods and everybody's found certain techniques that work better than others for them. Also, there's the little serendipitous moments that occur where you go, "Damnit! THAT'S IT, and it was right there all the time!!" I like those the best and they keep me going back for more. I'm a slow learner and have been after this for thirty five years or so. There's nothing quite compares to that feeling of picking up a new trick for the bag, whether it's a huge style altering one or a little nuance that you've heard somewhere and it suddenly comes out in the open while foolin' around.
Re Pinky Bracing: I gave up on that one and plant the heel of my picking hand right on the guitar for a foundation, but I'm not much of finger picker. Works good for me for flat picking melodies and rhythm.