Hi Shirley, what is the feeding routine recommended for the starter you were gifted? If you are feeding it more water than flour by weight, then it will likely be quite liquidy in consistency and may not rise the same way a starter that is thicker is able to rise. There is nothing wrong with maintaining a starter this way, but it's likely to work best in recipes that call for this type of starter, or in recipes that include a levain (an overnight starter that includes a small amount of "ripe" starter to innoculate a portion of water and flour from the bread recipe). A bread recipe that includes a levain, such as our Pain Au Levain recipe offers a sort of bridge between varying starter consistencies. If you're having difficulty baking successfully with this starter, then you could also consider converting your starter to a different consistency/feeding routine. Our starter routine calls for feeding equal parts by weight of starter, water and flour, which results in a starter that is fairly thick and pasty (but still easy to stir) right after feeding. As the starter rises and ferments it becomes thinner in consistency (more like a thick pancake batter). Converting a starter by changing the feeding routine can take up to a week of twice a day feedings at room temperature for the starter to fully convert, but that doesn't mean you can't use the starter in the interim; just don't expect it to deliver the properties of the new starter until it's had time to adjust to its new feeding routine. With our starter process, once the starter is doubling in size within 6-8 hours after a feeding, then that's a good sign that its ready to use in your bread baking. 

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