creating XML document from scratch

hi,
	I want to create a DOM document without originally having an XML
document.  So, instead of parsing an XML document and getting the DOM
document, I want to just create an empty DOM document and then fill in
whatever elements, etc. that I need.  After extensive searching through Java
docs (Xerces implementation), it seems that creating a document from scratch
is not possible using the DOM.  Is this true or am I misunderstanding the
documentation?  I'm sorry if this question has already been answered in FAQ
or the archives but I could not find anything in either source and I just
joined this list.  Any help or clarification would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks a million in advance,

Heather