Something that would have been helpful for me to know when I was new to creating a starter is just how long it can take before the good bacteria gets going. Most recipes or approaches suggest that by Day 5 you may have a starter that is bubbling and active, when for me it was almost always still in the stinky, Leuconostoc bacteria stage. I attempted it 3 times and finally when I just stuck it out longer I realized it really took me 10-14 days to get a healthy starter going with good bacteria. I know a lot of guides speak to how it may seem dormant, quiet, and smelly, but it was never clear how long to keep going and trying. All that to say -- it might be helpful to those new to starters to know just how long it can take to get one going, and that it's worth sticking with it longer than may seem. I ended up throwing out a few starters that maybe would have worked out, and had to do a lot of googling to try to figure out if my starter still had hope. Thanks for all your help and guidance!

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