diff --git a/src/logging/Manager.cc b/src/logging/Manager.cc
index 0876b10eb2..63d4c60a5c 100644
--- a/src/logging/Manager.cc
+++ b/src/logging/Manager.cc
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ struct WriterDefinition {
 	bro_int_t type;			// The type.
 	const char *name;		// Descriptive name for error messages.
 	bool (*init)();			// An optional one-time initialization function.
-	WriterBackend* (*factory)();	// A factory function creating instances.
+	WriterBackend* (*factory)(WriterFrontend* frontend);	// A factory function creating instances.
 };
 
 // Static table defining all availabel log writers.
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ WriterDefinition log_writers[] = {
 	{ BifEnum::Log::WRITER_ASCII, "Ascii", 0, writer::Ascii::Instantiate },
 
 	// End marker, don't touch.
-	{ BifEnum::Log::WRITER_DEFAULT, "None", 0, (WriterBackend* (*)())0 }
+	{ BifEnum::Log::WRITER_DEFAULT, "None", 0, (WriterBackend* (*)(WriterFrontend* frontend))0 }
 };
 
 struct Manager::Filter {
@@ -436,7 +436,7 @@ Manager::~Manager()
 		delete *s;
 	}
 
-WriterBackend* Manager::CreateBackend(bro_int_t type)
+WriterBackend* Manager::CreateBackend(WriterFrontend* frontend, bro_int_t type)
 	{
 	WriterDefinition* ld = log_writers;
 
@@ -478,7 +478,7 @@ WriterBackend* Manager::CreateBackend(bro_int_t type)
 
 	assert(ld->factory);
 
-	WriterBackend* backend = (*ld->factory)();
+	WriterBackend* backend = (*ld->factory)(frontend);
 	assert(backend);
 	return backend;
 	}
diff --git a/src/logging/Manager.h b/src/logging/Manager.h
index 1267a19ca7..f6829b3554 100644
--- a/src/logging/Manager.h
+++ b/src/logging/Manager.h
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@ protected:
 
 	// Instantiates a new WriterBackend of the given type (note that
 	// doing so creates a new thread!). 
-	WriterBackend* CreateBackend(bro_int_t type);
+	WriterBackend* CreateBackend(WriterFrontend* frontend, bro_int_t type);
 
 	//// Function also used by the RemoteSerializer.
 
diff --git a/src/logging/WriterBackend.cc b/src/logging/WriterBackend.cc
index e361ca69d3..fe3a6ef560 100644
--- a/src/logging/WriterBackend.cc
+++ b/src/logging/WriterBackend.cc
@@ -55,12 +55,13 @@ public:
 
 using namespace logging;
 
-WriterBackend::WriterBackend(const string& name) : MsgThread(name)
+WriterBackend::WriterBackend(WriterFrontend* arg_frontend, const string& name) : MsgThread(name)
 	{
 	path = "<not set>";
 	num_fields = 0;
 	fields = 0;
 	buffering = true;
+	frontend = arg_frontend;
 	}
 
 WriterBackend::~WriterBackend()
@@ -100,10 +101,8 @@ void WriterBackend::DisableFrontend()
 	SendOut(new DisableMessage(frontend));
 	}
 
-bool WriterBackend::Init(WriterFrontend* arg_frontend, string arg_path, int arg_num_fields,
-			 const Field* const*  arg_fields)
+bool WriterBackend::Init(string arg_path, int arg_num_fields, const Field* const*  arg_fields)
 	{
-	frontend = arg_frontend;
 	path = arg_path;
 	num_fields = arg_num_fields;
 	fields = arg_fields;
@@ -227,6 +226,7 @@ bool WriterBackend::Finish()
 bool WriterBackend::DoHeartbeat(double network_time, double current_time)
 	{
 	SendOut(new FlushWriteBufferMessage(frontend));
+
 	return true;
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/logging/WriterBackend.h b/src/logging/WriterBackend.h
index b5d313a480..21dcd41ff7 100644
--- a/src/logging/WriterBackend.h
+++ b/src/logging/WriterBackend.h
@@ -26,9 +26,15 @@ public:
 	/**
 	 * Constructor.
 	 *
+	 * @param frontend The frontend writer that created this backend. The
+	 * *only* purpose of this value is to be passed back via messages as
+	 * a argument to callbacks. One must not otherwise access the
+	 * frontend, it's running in a different thread.
+	 *
 	 * @param name A descriptive name for writer's type (e.g., \c Ascii).
+	 *
 	 */
-	WriterBackend(const string& name);
+	WriterBackend(WriterFrontend* frontend, const string& name);
 
 	/**
 	 * Destructor.
@@ -38,11 +44,6 @@ public:
 	/**
 	 * One-time initialization of the writer to define the logged fields.
 	 *
-	 * @param frontend The frontend writer that created this backend. The
-	 * *only* purpose of this value is to be passed back via messages as
-	 * a argument to callbacks. One must not otherwise access the
-	 * frontend, it's running in a different thread.
-	 *
 	 * @param path A string left to the interpretation of the writer
 	 * implementation; it corresponds to the value configured on the
 	 * script-level for the logging filter.
@@ -54,7 +55,7 @@ public:
 	 * 
 	 * @return False if an error occured.
 	 */
-	bool Init(WriterFrontend* frontend, string path, int num_fields, const Field* const*  fields);
+	bool Init(string path, int num_fields, const Field* const*  fields);
 
 	/**
 	 * Writes one log entry.
diff --git a/src/logging/WriterFrontend.cc b/src/logging/WriterFrontend.cc
index 137cdf90ec..79c180b749 100644
--- a/src/logging/WriterFrontend.cc
+++ b/src/logging/WriterFrontend.cc
@@ -9,14 +9,13 @@ namespace logging  {
 class InitMessage : public threading::InputMessage<WriterBackend>
 {
 public:
-	InitMessage(WriterBackend* backend, WriterFrontend* frontend, const string path, const int num_fields, const Field* const* fields)
+	InitMessage(WriterBackend* backend, const string path, const int num_fields, const Field* const* fields)
 		: threading::InputMessage<WriterBackend>("Init", backend),
 		path(path), num_fields(num_fields), fields(fields) { }
 
-	virtual bool Process() { return Object()->Init(frontend, path, num_fields, fields); }
+	virtual bool Process() { return Object()->Init(path, num_fields, fields); }
 
 private:
-	WriterFrontend* frontend;
 	const string path;
 	const int num_fields;
 	const Field * const* fields;
@@ -47,7 +46,7 @@ class WriteMessage : public threading::InputMessage<WriterBackend>
 public:
 	WriteMessage(WriterBackend* backend, int num_fields, int num_writes, Value*** vals)
 		: threading::InputMessage<WriterBackend>("Write", backend),
-		num_fields(num_fields), vals(vals)	{}
+		num_fields(num_fields), num_writes(num_writes), vals(vals)	{}
 
 	virtual bool Process() { return Object()->Write(num_fields, num_writes, vals); }
 
@@ -98,8 +97,9 @@ WriterFrontend::WriterFrontend(bro_int_t type)
 	{
 	disabled = initialized = false;
 	buf = true;
+	write_buffer = 0;
 	write_buffer_pos = 0;
-	backend = log_mgr->CreateBackend(type);
+	backend = log_mgr->CreateBackend(this, type);
 
 	assert(backend);
 	backend->Start();
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ void WriterFrontend::Init(string arg_path, int arg_num_fields, const Field* cons
 	fields = arg_fields;
 
 	initialized = true;
-	backend->SendIn(new InitMessage(backend, this, arg_path, arg_num_fields, arg_fields));
+	backend->SendIn(new InitMessage(backend, arg_path, arg_num_fields, arg_fields));
 	}
 
 void WriterFrontend::Write(int num_fields, Value** vals)
@@ -144,15 +144,12 @@ void WriterFrontend::Write(int num_fields, Value** vals)
 		write_buffer_pos = 0;
 		}
 
-	if ( write_buffer_pos >= WRITER_BUFFER_SIZE )
-		// Buffer full.
-		FlushWriteBuffer();
-
 	write_buffer[write_buffer_pos++] = vals;
 
-	if ( ! buf )
-		// Send out immediately if we don't want buffering.
+	if ( write_buffer_pos >= WRITER_BUFFER_SIZE || ! buf )
+		// Buffer full (or no bufferin desired).
 		FlushWriteBuffer();
+
 	}
 
 void WriterFrontend::FlushWriteBuffer()
@@ -165,6 +162,7 @@ void WriterFrontend::FlushWriteBuffer()
 
 	// Clear buffer (no delete, we pass ownership to child thread.)
 	write_buffer = 0;
+	write_buffer_pos = 0;
 	}
 
 void WriterFrontend::SetBuf(bool enabled)
diff --git a/src/logging/writers/Ascii.cc b/src/logging/writers/Ascii.cc
index a1ceb6e217..0e522dde1d 100644
--- a/src/logging/writers/Ascii.cc
+++ b/src/logging/writers/Ascii.cc
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 using namespace logging;
 using namespace writer;
 
-Ascii::Ascii() : WriterBackend("Ascii")
+Ascii::Ascii(WriterFrontend* frontend) : WriterBackend(frontend, "Ascii")
 	{
 	file = 0;
 
diff --git a/src/logging/writers/Ascii.h b/src/logging/writers/Ascii.h
index 4a9dea4950..4a24aad9b7 100644
--- a/src/logging/writers/Ascii.h
+++ b/src/logging/writers/Ascii.h
@@ -11,10 +11,11 @@ namespace logging { namespace writer {
 
 class Ascii : public WriterBackend {
 public:
-	Ascii();
+	Ascii(WriterFrontend* frontend);
 	~Ascii();
 
-	static WriterBackend* Instantiate()	{ return new Ascii; }
+	static WriterBackend* Instantiate(WriterFrontend* frontend)
+		{ return new Ascii(frontend); }
 	static string LogExt();
 
 protected:
diff --git a/src/logging/writers/None.h b/src/logging/writers/None.h
index b25bb09348..19dc685ecb 100644
--- a/src/logging/writers/None.h
+++ b/src/logging/writers/None.h
@@ -11,10 +11,11 @@ namespace logging { namespace writer {
 
 class None : public WriterBackend {
 public:
-	None() : WriterBackend("None")	{}
+	None(WriterFrontend* frontend) : WriterBackend(frontend, "None")	{}
 	~None()	{};
 
-	static WriterBackend* Instantiate()	{ return new None; }
+	static WriterBackend* Instantiate(WriterFrontend* frontend)
+		{ return new None(frontend); }
 
 protected:
 	virtual bool DoInit(string path, int num_fields,
diff --git a/src/threading/MsgThread.cc b/src/threading/MsgThread.cc
index 455c177df6..52da7c7400 100644
--- a/src/threading/MsgThread.cc
+++ b/src/threading/MsgThread.cc
@@ -214,13 +214,7 @@ BasicOutputMessage* MsgThread::RetrieveOut()
 	BasicOutputMessage* msg = queue_out.Get();
 	assert(msg);
 
-#ifdef DEBUG
-	if ( msg->Name() != "DebugMessage" ) // Avoid recursion.
-		{
-		string s = Fmt("Retrieved '%s' from %s",  msg->Name().c_str(), Name().c_str());
-		Debug(DBG_THREADING, s.c_str());
-		}
-#endif
+	DBG_LOG(DBG_THREADING, "Retrieved '%s' from %s",  msg->Name().c_str(), Name().c_str());
 
 	return msg;
 	}