tl;dr can you give anekdotes about how you approached a girl, especially how you opened up conversation and what the environmental context was?

I've been having trouble with approaching girls and keeping conversation up with them. Don't care all too much about hooking up or romancing them or anything, just want to be able to talk and have fun with people I don't know that also don't know me; the rest will eventually come.

I realised that my biggest problem was not being able to find something to say. Whenever I wouldn't have to start conversation, for example when my friends already got that going with girls and I walk in, things go very well and I can get a one on one conversation going with them unless the conversation kinda dies and I can't think of anything to say on the spot. Girls make me nervous and my thinking capacity and awareness just drops.

I know situational things are best to say so I try to go that direction but it's still pretty tough. I feel like all I need is some inspiration.

Imma drop a few questions and I'd love to hear you guys insights:

  • Care to write an anecdote where you explain the situation you were in and what you said to get things started?
  • What's your go to thing to say to revive a conversation when you're clueless with the current topic for a sec? My go to is music and movies cuz I really love them and tried a lot of stuff. Sometimes girls will give very shallow answers to that though
  • What should you avoid saying/doing? One thing I was thinking about is just straight up saying you have nothing to say atm but never tried it and don't know if it's a good idea

Some additional info that could be helpful I guess:

  • Some things about myself make me kinda insecure and shy but I'm an optimistic person so I try not to have it hold me back. Some of those things are wherever I go I'm always a foreigner & I'm very very skinny.
  • I'm usually with a group of friends, all dudes, who care more about drinking than women.
  • The setting that's most interesting to me is in pubs/bars and clubs.

I just wanna pick up this skill.