Как отлаживать объект xml, который вызывает ошибку преобразования при записи в строку?

У меня есть объект XML, и когда я преобразовываю его в строку с помощью

public static String XMLElementToString(Document doc, Element e) {
    // --- Output XML ---
    try {
        TransformerFactory transFactory = TransformerFactory.newInstance();
        Transformer transformer = transFactory.newTransformer();
        transformer.setOutputProperty(OutputKeys.INDENT, "yes");
        transformer.setOutputProperty(OutputKeys.ENCODING, "UTF-8");

        StringWriter buffer = new StringWriter();
        Result result = new StreamResult(buffer);
        Source source = null;
        if (e != null) {
            transformer.setOutputProperty(OutputKeys.OMIT_XML_DECLARATION, "yes");
            source = new DOMSource(e);
        } else {
            source = new DOMSource(doc);
        }
        transformer.transform(source, result); // <-- Error occurs here

        buffer.flush();
        return buffer.toString();

    } catch (TransformerException ex) {
        System.out.println("exception: " + ex.getMessage());            
    }
    return "";
}

, я получаю ошибку с одним из моих объектов. Используя точку останова и просматривая объект xml, я не могу сказать почему, хотя TransformerException действительно говорит, что содержащееся исключение является исключением с нулевым указателем. Он работает с другими связанными объектами, которые есть у меня в той же программе, но я понятия не имею, как это отлаживать.

[[РЕДАКТИРОВАТЬ]] Вот трассировка стека:

ERROR:  ''
javax.xml.transform.TransformerException: java.lang.NullPointerException
at com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.TransformerImpl.transform(TransformerImpl.java:716)
at com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.TransformerImpl.transform(TransformerImpl.java:313)
at com.protocase.utils.StringHelpers.XMLElementToString(StringHelpers.java:132)
at com.protocase.io.PDWriter.writePD(PDWriter.java:49)
at com.protocase.io.PDWriter.writePDA(PDWriter.java:26)
at com.protocase.viewer.JDesigner.OnSaveAs(JDesigner.java:1364)
at com.protocase.viewer.JDesigner.access$000(JDesigner.java:106)
at com.protocase.viewer.JDesigner$34.actionPerformed(JDesigner.java:722)
at javax.swing.AbstractButton.fireActionPerformed(AbstractButton.java:1995)
at javax.swing.AbstractButton$Handler.actionPerformed(AbstractButton.java:2318)
at javax.swing.DefaultButtonModel.fireActionPerformed(DefaultButtonModel.java:387)
at javax.swing.DefaultButtonModel.setPressed(DefaultButtonModel.java:242)
at javax.swing.plaf.basic.BasicButtonListener.mouseReleased(BasicButtonListener.java:236)
at java.awt.AWTEventMulticaster.mouseReleased(AWTEventMulticaster.java:272)
at java.awt.Component.processMouseEvent(Component.java:6288)
at javax.swing.JComponent.processMouseEvent(JComponent.java:3267)
at java.awt.Component.processEvent(Component.java:6053)
at java.awt.Container.processEvent(Container.java:2041)
at java.awt.Component.dispatchEventImpl(Component.java:4651)
at java.awt.Container.dispatchEventImpl(Container.java:2099)
at java.awt.Component.dispatchEvent(Component.java:4481)
at java.awt.LightweightDispatcher.retargetMouseEvent(Container.java:4577)
at java.awt.LightweightDispatcher.processMouseEvent(Container.java:4238)
at java.awt.LightweightDispatcher.dispatchEvent(Container.java:4168)
at java.awt.Container.dispatchEventImpl(Container.java:2085)
at java.awt.Window.dispatchEventImpl(Window.java:2478)
at java.awt.Component.dispatchEvent(Component.java:4481)
at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEventImpl(EventQueue.java:643)
at java.awt.EventQueue.access$000(EventQueue.java:84)
at java.awt.EventQueue$1.run(EventQueue.java:602)
at java.awt.EventQueue$1.run(EventQueue.java:600)
at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
at java.security.AccessControlContext$1.doIntersectionPrivilege(AccessControlContext.java:87)
at java.security.AccessControlContext$1.doIntersectionPrivilege(AccessControlContext.java:98)
at java.awt.EventQueue$2.run(EventQueue.java:616)
at java.awt.EventQueue$2.run(EventQueue.java:614)
at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
at java.security.AccessControlContext$1.doIntersectionPrivilege(AccessControlContext.java:87)
at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(EventQueue.java:613)
at com.protocase.viewer.EventQueueProxy.dispatchEvent(JDesigner.java:2338)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpOneEventForFilters(EventDispatchThread.java:269)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForFilter(EventDispatchThread.java:184)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForHierarchy(EventDispatchThread.java:174)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:169)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:161)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(EventDispatchThread.java:122)
Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException
at com.sun.org.apache.xml.internal.serializer.ToUnknownStream.characters(ToUnknownStream.java:338)
at com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.DOM2TO.parse(DOM2TO.java:240)
at com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.DOM2TO.parse(DOM2TO.java:226)
at com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.DOM2TO.parse(DOM2TO.java:226)
at com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.DOM2TO.parse(DOM2TO.java:226)
at com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.DOM2TO.parse(DOM2TO.java:226)
at com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.DOM2TO.parse(DOM2TO.java:132)
at com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.DOM2TO.parse(DOM2TO.java:94)
at com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.TransformerImpl.transformIdentity(TransformerImpl.java:661)
at com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.TransformerImpl.transform(TransformerImpl.java:707)
    ... 45 more
---------
java.lang.NullPointerException
at com.sun.org.apache.xml.internal.serializer.ToUnknownStream.characters(ToUnknownStream.java:338)
at com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.DOM2TO.parse(DOM2TO.java:240)
at com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.DOM2TO.parse(DOM2TO.java:226)
at com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.DOM2TO.parse(DOM2TO.java:226)
at com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.DOM2TO.parse(DOM2TO.java:226)
at com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.DOM2TO.parse(DOM2TO.java:226)
at com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.DOM2TO.parse(DOM2TO.java:132)
at com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.DOM2TO.parse(DOM2TO.java:94)
at com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.TransformerImpl.transformIdentity(TransformerImpl.java:661)
at com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.TransformerImpl.transform(TransformerImpl.java:707)
at com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.TransformerImpl.transform(TransformerImpl.java:313)
at com.protocase.utils.StringHelpers.XMLElementToString(StringHelpers.java:132)
at com.protocase.io.PDWriter.writePD(PDWriter.java:49)
at com.protocase.io.PDWriter.writePDA(PDWriter.java:26)
at com.protocase.viewer.JDesigner.OnSaveAs(JDesigner.java:1364)
at com.protocase.viewer.JDesigner.access$000(JDesigner.java:106)
at com.protocase.viewer.JDesigner$34.actionPerformed(JDesigner.java:722)
at javax.swing.AbstractButton.fireActionPerformed(AbstractButton.java:1995)
at javax.swing.AbstractButton$Handler.actionPerformed(AbstractButton.java:2318)
at javax.swing.DefaultButtonModel.fireActionPerformed(DefaultButtonModel.java:387)
at javax.swing.DefaultButtonModel.setPressed(DefaultButtonModel.java:242)
at javax.swing.plaf.basic.BasicButtonListener.mouseReleased(BasicButtonListener.java:236)
at java.awt.AWTEventMulticaster.mouseReleased(AWTEventMulticaster.java:272)
at java.awt.Component.processMouseEvent(Component.java:6288)
at javax.swing.JComponent.processMouseEvent(JComponent.java:3267)
at java.awt.Component.processEvent(Component.java:6053)
at java.awt.Container.processEvent(Container.java:2041)
at java.awt.Component.dispatchEventImpl(Component.java:4651)
at java.awt.Container.dispatchEventImpl(Container.java:2099)
at java.awt.Component.dispatchEvent(Component.java:4481)
at java.awt.LightweightDispatcher.retargetMouseEvent(Container.java:4577)
at java.awt.LightweightDispatcher.processMouseEvent(Container.java:4238)
at java.awt.LightweightDispatcher.dispatchEvent(Container.java:4168)
at java.awt.Container.dispatchEventImpl(Container.java:2085)
at java.awt.Window.dispatchEventImpl(Window.java:2478)
at java.awt.Component.dispatchEvent(Component.java:4481)
at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEventImpl(EventQueue.java:643)
at java.awt.EventQueue.access$000(EventQueue.java:84)
at java.awt.EventQueue$1.run(EventQueue.java:602)
at java.awt.EventQueue$1.run(EventQueue.java:600)
at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
at java.security.AccessControlContext$1.doIntersectionPrivilege(AccessControlContext.java:87)
at java.security.AccessControlContext$1.doIntersectionPrivilege(AccessControlContext.java:98)
at java.awt.EventQueue$2.run(EventQueue.java:616)
at java.awt.EventQueue$2.run(EventQueue.java:614)
at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
at     java.security.AccessControlContext$1.doIntersectionPrivilege(AccessControlContext.java:87)
at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(EventQueue.java:613)
at com.protocase.viewer.EventQueueProxy.dispatchEvent(JDesigner.java:2338)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpOneEventForFilters(EventDispatchThread.java:269)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForFilter(EventDispatchThread.java:184)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForHierarchy(EventDispatchThread.java:174)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:169)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:161)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(EventDispatchThread.java:122)