diff --git a/build.zig b/build.zig
index 4327cde..b2eaaac 100644
--- a/build.zig
+++ b/build.zig
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ pub fn build(b: *Builder) void {
     const source_files = [_][]const u8{"src/journal/main.c"};
 
     for (source_files) |source| {
-        exe.addCSourceFile(source, [_][]const u8{"-Wall"});
+        exe.addCSourceFile(source, [_][]const u8{"-W -O"});
     }
 
     const zig_sources = [_][]const u8{"src/journal/journal.zig"};
diff --git a/src/journal/journal.zig b/src/journal/journal.zig
index d320aa0..d42d3e2 100644
--- a/src/journal/journal.zig
+++ b/src/journal/journal.zig
@@ -12,16 +12,17 @@ const c = @cImport({
 const warn = std.debug.warn;
 const allocator = std.heap.c_allocator;
 
-fn sliceify(ptr: [*]u8) []u8 {
-    return ptr[0..c.strlen(ptr)];
+fn alloc_str(size: c_ulong) [*c]u8 {
+    return @ptrCast([*c]u8, @alignCast(@alignOf(u8), c.malloc(c_ulong(size))));
 }
 
-fn sliceifyKnown(slice: []u8) []u8 {
-    return slice[0..c.strlen(slice.ptr)];
+fn free_str(ptr: [*c]u8) void {
+    c.free(@ptrCast(?*c_void, ptr));
 }
 
-export fn journal_open(topic_cptr: ?[*]u8) os.fd_t {
-    const topic = sliceify(topic_cptr.?);
+export fn journal_open(topic_opt: [*c]u8) os.fd_t {
+    const topic_len = c.strlen(topic_opt);
+    const topic: []u8 = topic_opt[0..topic_len];
 
     const journal_dir = std.fs.path.resolve(allocator, [_][]const u8{
         std.os.getenvC(c"HOME").?,
@@ -60,11 +61,10 @@ export fn journal_open(topic_cptr: ?[*]u8) os.fd_t {
     return fd;
 }
 
-export fn journal_write(journal: os.fd_t, message_cptr: ?[*]u8) void {
-    std.os.write(
-        journal,
-        sliceify(message_cptr.?),
-    ) catch |err| {
+export fn journal_write(journal: os.fd_t, message: [*c]u8) void {
+    const msglen = c.strlen(message);
+
+    std.os.write(journal, message[0..msglen]) catch |err| {
         std.debug.warn("Error while writing to file: {}\n", err);
         return;
     };
@@ -76,28 +76,24 @@ export fn journal_close(journal: os.fd_t) void {
 
 export fn journal_write_topic(
     journal: os.fd_t,
-    topic_cptr: ?[*]u8,
-    message_cptr: ?[*]u8,
+    topic_opt: [*c]u8,
+    message_opt: [*c]u8,
 ) void {
-    var topic = sliceify(topic_cptr.?);
-    var message = sliceify(message_cptr.?);
-
-    var tstamp_total = allocator.alloc(u8, 128) catch |err| {
-        warn("failed to allocate string for timestamp\n");
-        return;
-    };
-    defer allocator.free(tstamp_total);
+    var topic = topic_opt[0..c.strlen(topic_opt)];
+    var message = message_opt[0..c.strlen(message_opt)];
 
+    var tstamp_cstr: [*c]u8 = alloc_str(128);
     var rawtime: c.time_t = undefined;
 
     _ = c.time(&rawtime);
     var cur_time: [*c]const c.struct_tm = c.gmtime(&rawtime);
-    _ = c.strftime(tstamp_total.ptr, usize(128), c"%c", cur_time);
+    _ = c.strftime(tstamp_cstr, usize(128), c"%c", cur_time);
 
-    var tstamp = sliceifyKnown(tstamp_total);
+    var tstamp = tstamp_cstr[0..c.strlen(tstamp_cstr)];
 
     std.debug.warn("tstamp: {}\ntopic: {}\nmsg: {}\n", tstamp, topic, message);
 
+    // catch unreachable is intended.
     var fmt_msg = std.fmt.allocPrint(
         allocator,
         "[{}] [{}]: {}\n",
@@ -109,11 +105,12 @@ export fn journal_write_topic(
         return;
     };
 
-    // catch unreachable is intended.
     var fmt_msg_cstr = std.cstr.addNullByte(
         allocator,
         fmt_msg,
     ) catch unreachable;
 
+    free_str(tstamp_cstr);
+
     journal_write(journal, fmt_msg_cstr.ptr);
 }