diff --git a/buf.go b/buf.go
index fd966c39..e7ff5777 100644
--- a/buf.go
+++ b/buf.go
@@ -47,28 +47,44 @@ func (b *readBuf) byte() byte {
 	return b.next(1)[0]
 }
 
-type writeBuf []byte
+type writeBuf struct {
+	buf []byte
+	pos int
+}
 
 func (b *writeBuf) int32(n int) {
 	x := make([]byte, 4)
 	binary.BigEndian.PutUint32(x, uint32(n))
-	*b = append(*b, x...)
+	b.buf = append(b.buf, x...)
 }
 
 func (b *writeBuf) int16(n int) {
 	x := make([]byte, 2)
 	binary.BigEndian.PutUint16(x, uint16(n))
-	*b = append(*b, x...)
+	b.buf = append(b.buf, x...)
 }
 
 func (b *writeBuf) string(s string) {
-	*b = append(*b, (s + "\000")...)
+	b.buf = append(b.buf, (s + "\000")...)
 }
 
 func (b *writeBuf) byte(c byte) {
-	*b = append(*b, c)
+	b.buf = append(b.buf, c)
 }
 
 func (b *writeBuf) bytes(v []byte) {
-	*b = append(*b, v...)
+	b.buf = append(b.buf, v...)
+}
+
+func (b *writeBuf) wrap() []byte {
+	p := b.buf[b.pos:]
+	binary.BigEndian.PutUint32(p, uint32(len(p)))
+	return b.buf
+}
+
+func (b *writeBuf) next(c byte) {
+	p := b.buf[b.pos:]
+	binary.BigEndian.PutUint32(p, uint32(len(p)))
+	b.pos = len(b.buf) + 1
+	b.buf = append(b.buf, c, 0, 0, 0, 0)
 }
diff --git a/conn.go b/conn.go
index e92798ed..d188c9b7 100644
--- a/conn.go
+++ b/conn.go
@@ -110,8 +110,10 @@ type conn struct {
 
 func (c *conn) writeBuf(b byte) *writeBuf {
 	c.scratch[0] = b
-	w := writeBuf(c.scratch[:5])
-	return &w
+	return &writeBuf{
+		buf: c.scratch[:5],
+		pos: 1,
+	}
 }
 
 func Open(name string) (_ driver.Conn, err error) {
@@ -553,14 +555,13 @@ func (cn *conn) prepareTo(q, stmtName string) (_ *stmt, err error) {
 	b.string(st.name)
 	b.string(q)
 	b.int16(0)
-	cn.send(b)
 
-	b = cn.writeBuf('D')
+	b.next('D')
 	b.byte('S')
 	b.string(st.name)
-	cn.send(b)
 
-	cn.send(cn.writeBuf('S'))
+	b.next('S')
+	cn.send(b)
 
 	for {
 		t, r := cn.recv1()
@@ -670,16 +671,20 @@ func (cn *conn) Exec(query string, args []driver.Value) (_ driver.Result, err er
 	return r, err
 }
 
-// Assumes len(*m) is > 5
 func (cn *conn) send(m *writeBuf) {
-	b := (*m)[1:]
-	binary.BigEndian.PutUint32(b, uint32(len(b)))
+	_, err := cn.c.Write(m.wrap())
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+}
 
-	if (*m)[0] == 0 {
-		*m = b
+func (cn *conn) sendStartupPacket(m *writeBuf) {
+	// sanity check
+	if m.buf[0] != 0 {
+		panic("oops")
 	}
 
-	_, err := cn.c.Write(*m)
+	_, err := cn.c.Write((m.wrap())[1:])
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
@@ -819,7 +824,7 @@ func (cn *conn) ssl(o values) {
 
 	w := cn.writeBuf(0)
 	w.int32(80877103)
-	cn.send(w)
+	cn.sendStartupPacket(w)
 
 	b := cn.scratch[:1]
 	_, err := io.ReadFull(cn.c, b)
@@ -983,7 +988,7 @@ func (cn *conn) startup(o values) {
 		w.string(v)
 	}
 	w.string("")
-	cn.send(w)
+	cn.sendStartupPacket(w)
 
 	for {
 		t, r := cn.recv()
@@ -1127,7 +1132,7 @@ func (st *stmt) exec(v []driver.Value) {
 	}
 
 	w := st.cn.writeBuf('B')
-	w.string("")
+	w.byte(0)
 	w.string(st.name)
 	w.int16(0)
 	w.int16(len(v))
@@ -1141,14 +1146,13 @@ func (st *stmt) exec(v []driver.Value) {
 		}
 	}
 	w.int16(0)
-	st.cn.send(w)
 
-	w = st.cn.writeBuf('E')
-	w.string("")
+	w.next('E')
+	w.byte(0)
 	w.int32(0)
-	st.cn.send(w)
 
-	st.cn.send(st.cn.writeBuf('S'))
+	w.next('S')
+	st.cn.send(w)
 
 	var err error
 	for {
diff --git a/notify.go b/notify.go
index c756af8b..8cad5781 100644
--- a/notify.go
+++ b/notify.go
@@ -253,8 +253,10 @@ func (l *ListenerConn) sendSimpleQuery(q string) (err error) {
 
 	// Can't use l.cn.writeBuf here because it uses the scratch buffer which
 	// might get overwritten by listenerConnLoop.
-	data := writeBuf([]byte("Q\x00\x00\x00\x00"))
-	b := &data
+	b := &writeBuf{
+		buf: []byte("Q\x00\x00\x00\x00"),
+		pos: 1,
+	}
 	b.string(q)
 	l.cn.send(b)