diff --git a/src/writer/emitter.rs b/src/writer/emitter.rs
index 28542274..ba80f667 100644
--- a/src/writer/emitter.rs
+++ b/src/writer/emitter.rs
@@ -401,6 +401,7 @@ impl Emitter {
 
     pub fn emit_characters<W: Write>(&mut self, target: &mut W,
                                       content: &str) -> Result<()> {
+        self.check_document_started(target)?;
         self.fix_non_empty_element(target)?;
         target.write_all(
             (if self.config.perform_escaping {