diff --git a/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/util/xml/pull/MXSerializer.java b/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/util/xml/pull/MXSerializer.java
index ffd0ede..dcacfee 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/util/xml/pull/MXSerializer.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/util/xml/pull/MXSerializer.java
@@ -854,110 +854,114 @@ public void flush() throws IOException {
     // --- utility methods
 
     protected void writeAttributeValue(String value, Writer out) throws IOException {
-        // .[apostrophe and <, & escaped],
-        final char quot = attributeUseApostrophe ? '\'' : '"';
-        final String quotEntity = attributeUseApostrophe ? "&apos;" : "&quot;";
-
-        int pos = 0;
-        for (int i = 0; i < value.length(); i++) {
-            char ch = value.charAt(i);
-            if (ch == '&') {
-                if (i > pos) out.write(value.substring(pos, i));
-                out.write("&amp;");
-                pos = i + 1;
-            }
-            if (ch == '<') {
-                if (i > pos) out.write(value.substring(pos, i));
-                out.write("&lt;");
-                pos = i + 1;
-            } else if (ch == quot) {
-                if (i > pos) out.write(value.substring(pos, i));
-                out.write(quotEntity);
-                pos = i + 1;
-            } else if (ch < 32) {
-                // in XML 1.0 only legal character are #x9 | #xA | #xD
-                // and they must be escaped otherwise in attribute value they are normalized to spaces
-                if (ch == 13 || ch == 10 || ch == 9) {
-                    if (i > pos) out.write(value.substring(pos, i));
-                    out.write("&#");
-                    out.write(Integer.toString(ch));
-                    out.write(';');
-                    pos = i + 1;
-                } else {
-                    throw new IllegalStateException(
-                            "character " + Integer.toString(ch) + " is not allowed in output" + getLocation());
-                    // in XML 1.1 legal are [#x1-#xD7FF]
-                    // if(ch > 0) {
-                    // if(i > pos) out.write(text.substring(pos, i));
-                    // out.write("&#");
-                    // out.write(Integer.toString(ch));
-                    // out.write(';');
-                    // pos = i + 1;
-                    // } else {
-                    // throw new IllegalStateException(
-                    // "character zero is not allowed in XML 1.1 output"+getLocation());
-                    // }
-                }
-            }
-        }
-        if (pos > 0) {
-            out.write(value.substring(pos));
-        } else {
-            out.write(value); // this is shortcut to the most common case
-        }
-    }
-
-    protected void writeElementContent(String text, Writer out) throws IOException {
-        // escape '<', '&', ']]>', <32 if necessary
-        int pos = 0;
-        for (int i = 0; i < text.length(); i++) {
-            // TODO: check if doing char[] text.getChars() would be faster than getCharAt(i) ...
-            char ch = text.charAt(i);
-            if (ch == ']') {
-                if (seenBracket) {
-                    seenBracketBracket = true;
-                } else {
-                    seenBracket = true;
-                }
-            } else {
+        if (value != null) {
+            // .[apostrophe and <, & escaped],
+            final char quot = attributeUseApostrophe ? '\'' : '"';
+            final String quotEntity = attributeUseApostrophe ? "&apos;" : "&quot;";
+
+            int pos = 0;
+            for (int i = 0; i < value.length(); i++) {
+                char ch = value.charAt(i);
                 if (ch == '&') {
-                    if (i > pos) out.write(text.substring(pos, i));
+                    if (i > pos) out.write(value.substring(pos, i));
                     out.write("&amp;");
                     pos = i + 1;
-                } else if (ch == '<') {
-                    if (i > pos) out.write(text.substring(pos, i));
+                }
+                if (ch == '<') {
+                    if (i > pos) out.write(value.substring(pos, i));
                     out.write("&lt;");
                     pos = i + 1;
-                } else if (seenBracketBracket && ch == '>') {
-                    if (i > pos) out.write(text.substring(pos, i));
-                    out.write("&gt;");
+                } else if (ch == quot) {
+                    if (i > pos) out.write(value.substring(pos, i));
+                    out.write(quotEntity);
                     pos = i + 1;
                 } else if (ch < 32) {
                     // in XML 1.0 only legal character are #x9 | #xA | #xD
-                    if (ch == 9 || ch == 10 || ch == 13) {
-                        // pass through
-
-                        // } else if(ch == 13) { //escape
+                    // and they must be escaped otherwise in attribute value they are normalized to spaces
+                    if (ch == 13 || ch == 10 || ch == 9) {
+                        if (i > pos) out.write(value.substring(pos, i));
+                        out.write("&#");
+                        out.write(Integer.toString(ch));
+                        out.write(';');
+                        pos = i + 1;
+                    } else {
+                        throw new IllegalStateException(
+                                "character " + Integer.toString(ch) + " is not allowed in output" + getLocation());
+                        // in XML 1.1 legal are [#x1-#xD7FF]
+                        // if(ch > 0) {
                         // if(i > pos) out.write(text.substring(pos, i));
                         // out.write("&#");
                         // out.write(Integer.toString(ch));
                         // out.write(';');
                         // pos = i + 1;
+                        // } else {
+                        // throw new IllegalStateException(
+                        // "character zero is not allowed in XML 1.1 output"+getLocation());
+                        // }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            if (pos > 0) {
+                out.write(value.substring(pos));
+            } else {
+                out.write(value); // this is shortcut to the most common case
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    protected void writeElementContent(String text, Writer out) throws IOException {
+        if (text != null) {
+            // escape '<', '&', ']]>', <32 if necessary
+            int pos = 0;
+            for (int i = 0; i < text.length(); i++) {
+                // TODO: check if doing char[] text.getChars() would be faster than getCharAt(i) ...
+                char ch = text.charAt(i);
+                if (ch == ']') {
+                    if (seenBracket) {
+                        seenBracketBracket = true;
                     } else {
-                        // skip special char
+                        seenBracket = true;
+                    }
+                } else {
+                    if (ch == '&') {
+                        if (i > pos) out.write(text.substring(pos, i));
+                        out.write("&amp;");
+                        pos = i + 1;
+                    } else if (ch == '<') {
                         if (i > pos) out.write(text.substring(pos, i));
+                        out.write("&lt;");
                         pos = i + 1;
+                    } else if (seenBracketBracket && ch == '>') {
+                        if (i > pos) out.write(text.substring(pos, i));
+                        out.write("&gt;");
+                        pos = i + 1;
+                    } else if (ch < 32) {
+                        // in XML 1.0 only legal character are #x9 | #xA | #xD
+                        if (ch == 9 || ch == 10 || ch == 13) {
+                            // pass through
+
+                            // } else if(ch == 13) { //escape
+                            // if(i > pos) out.write(text.substring(pos, i));
+                            // out.write("&#");
+                            // out.write(Integer.toString(ch));
+                            // out.write(';');
+                            // pos = i + 1;
+                        } else {
+                            // skip special char
+                            if (i > pos) out.write(text.substring(pos, i));
+                            pos = i + 1;
+                        }
+                    }
+                    if (seenBracket) {
+                        seenBracketBracket = seenBracket = false;
                     }
-                }
-                if (seenBracket) {
-                    seenBracketBracket = seenBracket = false;
                 }
             }
-        }
-        if (pos > 0) {
-            out.write(text.substring(pos));
-        } else {
-            out.write(text); // this is shortcut to the most common case
+            if (pos > 0) {
+                out.write(text.substring(pos));
+            } else {
+                out.write(text); // this is shortcut to the most common case
+            }
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/util/xml/pull/MXSerializerTest.java b/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/util/xml/pull/MXSerializerTest.java
index 8b66c23..77deba9 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/util/xml/pull/MXSerializerTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/util/xml/pull/MXSerializerTest.java
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 package org.codehaus.plexus.util.xml.pull;
 
+import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.StringReader;
 import java.io.StringWriter;
 import java.util.Arrays;
@@ -55,4 +56,17 @@ private String expectedOutput() {
         out.append("</root>");
         return out.toString();
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Tests MJAVADOC-793.
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void testMJAVADOC793() throws IOException {
+        // should be no-ops
+        new MXSerializer().writeElementContent(null, null);
+        new MXSerializer().writeAttributeValue(null, null);
+        final StringWriter stringWriter = new StringWriter();
+        new MXSerializer().writeElementContent(null, stringWriter);
+        new MXSerializer().writeAttributeValue(null, stringWriter);
+    }
 }