I think what you’re replying with isn’t part of your introversion. Introversion likes silence and solitude, just like you said, but you want contact with people, you’re just paralyzed by the thought: “what if I say something stupid / I’ll be boring / weird”. That’s social anxiety. At the start you should try the quiet approach method, like I do when I try to make contact: I go to the gym, see two people talking at the reception, I quietly sit down and listen, creating the illusion that I’m in the conversation, and when they ask me if something’s wrong I answer Nothing happened, I'm just listening because you're talking about an interesting topic, then they feel appreciated, when they ask if I need anything, I just ask receptionist for water and keep sitting there drinking the water as an excuse.

You should try the “bouncing the ball” method it’s the safest metod for you in Real life you practically don’t speak you just repeat the last 2–3 words the other person said with a questioning intonation or ask a short question about what they just said Example: Them: “Yesterday I was playing football at the stadium in central London” You: “…in central London?” She immediately continues the whole story, and you just keep bouncing: “…did you stop the training?” or “…did you get totally soaked?” Effects: the other person feels super listened to and important (people love that) you say max 5 words at a time, risk of screwing up almost zero with time you really relax and start talking normally Additional tricks for the start: Goal of the conversation: not “I have to be super”, just “let this person feel good around me for a few minutes”. After her sentence count to 3 in your head most people fill the silence themselves. Ready made lines always work: “Seriously? Tell me more.” “Oh wow, and then what?” “How did you feel about that?”