- 1). Decide on the piece's theme. All couplets should be free-standing, and not necessarily directly related to each other, yet still loosely grouped around the poem's theme.
- 2). Choose a meter. All lines of a ghazal are written in the same meter, though there is no one defined metrical rule. Iambic pentameter is a common choice.
- 3). Figure out how many couplets you intend to include in your ghazal. While there is no definitive rule, traditional ghazals have between five to 15 couplets (10 to 30 lines).
- 4). Introduce the poem's theme clearly in the first couplet.
- 5). Establish a refrain in the first couplet. The refrain is the last three or so words in the second line of the couplet. This refrain should be used to end every couplet in the ghazal.
- 6). Write individual lines in complete sentences, without enjambment from one line to the next. Each line should express a full thought, while both lines of the couplet should address the same thought(s).
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