Is it normal to have a hard time making new friends?

I'm the same way. I made a small number of friends in classes due to shared interests, who then strong-armed me into becoming part of a proper friendship circle with *gasp* girls and everything. It was awkward as hell and difficult at first, but I'm glad I've got friends.

- Try to talk to people one-on-one if you find large groups intimidating or difficult to gauge.
- Create a mental script for talking to new people. If you're in school or college, ask them what classes they have today because classes are something everyone has in common. If you share any classes, you can talk about work or gossip about classmates if that's your style :P You can also ask someone what sort of music they like, because almost everyone likes some sort of music.
- If you don't want to talk about yourself, ask a lot of questions (most people like talking about themselves because they're flattered that you take an interest in them). Listen to what they say and remember it, and reference it in a later conversation to show you listened.
- Don't focus on trying to be funny if it doesn't flow naturally, just be relaxed, amicable, genuine and down-to-earth. Those are qualities anyone can find in themselves and they're qualities that make someone good to talk to and seem like a good friend to make.
- If you become friends with someone and they want to introduce you to a larger group of friends, go with them flow. Chances are if you're friends with that person you'll get along well with their crowd too. If you don't, or you feel uncomfortable, you can always plan out an excuse to leave.

Those are just my rules for trying to make friends, anyway :P

Okay well, what do you find difficult? You have to figure out what is stopping you from making new friends and then change it.

I am the same way. I really love being alone, but it does get lonely and boring sometimes. However, when I think about going out with friends, I would rather stay home. I guess we are just homebodies?