Hi Vivian, You ask a great question! The starter shown in this post here is considered a liquid starter. You may have used a starter in the past that was even more liquidy (more than 100% hydration), which tends to ferment more quickly. A starter that is made up of equal amounts water and flour by weight is easy to incorporate into recipes as well as feed. It ferments at just the right rate for us; it needs to be fed about once a week. A truly stiff starter has different benefits. To read more about the advantages of baking with a stiff starter, check out our blogger Barb's post on Artisan Sourdough Bread. These kinds of starters tend to have more sourness and are more easily identified as ripe. I hope this helps. Happy sourdough baking! Kye@KAF

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