diff --git a/src/models/state.js b/src/models/state.js
index 25153226d..6533f17af 100644
--- a/src/models/state.js
+++ b/src/models/state.js
@@ -51,7 +51,10 @@ class State extends new Record(DEFAULTS) {
       selection = selection.collapseToStartOf(text)
     }
 
-    return new State({ document, selection })
+    const state = new State({ document, selection })
+    return state.transform()
+      .normalize()
+      .apply({ save: false })
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/src/models/text.js b/src/models/text.js
index ae9592a15..b344c782e 100644
--- a/src/models/text.js
+++ b/src/models/text.js
@@ -44,6 +44,24 @@ class Text extends new Record(DEFAULTS) {
     return new Text(properties)
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Create a new `Text` from a string
+   *
+   * @param {String} content
+   * @return {Text}
+   */
+
+  static createFromString(content) {
+      return Text.create({
+        characters: Character.createList(
+          content.split('')
+          .map(c => {
+            return { text: c }
+          })
+        )
+      })
+  }
+
   /**
    * Create a list of `Texts` from an array.
    *
diff --git a/src/plugins/schema.js b/src/plugins/schema.js
index 78bba43e2..c0a138011 100644
--- a/src/plugins/schema.js
+++ b/src/plugins/schema.js
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ const MIN_TEXT_RULE = {
       return nodes.size === 0 ? true : null
     },
     normalize: (transform, node) => {
-      return transform.insertTextByKey(node.key, 0, '')
+      return transform.insertNodeByKey(node.key, 0, Text.create())
     }
 }
 
@@ -86,12 +86,34 @@ const INLINE_CHILDREN_RULE = {
 }
 
 /**
- * A default schema rule to ensure that inline void nodes are surrounded with text nodes
+ * A default schema rule to ensure that void nodes contain a single space of content.
  *
  * @type {Object}
  */
 
 const INLINE_VOID_TEXT_RULE = {
+  match: (object) => {
+    return (object.kind == 'inline' || object.kind == 'block') && object.isVoid
+  },
+  validate: (node) => {
+    return node.text !== ' ' || node.nodes.size !== 1
+  },
+  normalize: (transform, node) => {
+      transform = node.nodes.reduce((t, child) => {
+          return t.removeNodeByKey(child.key)
+      }, transform)
+
+      return transform.insertNodeByKey(node.key, 0, Text.createFromString(' '))
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * A default schema rule to ensure that inline void nodes are surrounded with text nodes
+ *
+ * @type {Object}
+ */
+
+const INLINE_VOID_TEXTS_AROUND_RULE = {
   match: (object) => {
     return object.kind == 'block'
   },
@@ -174,6 +196,7 @@ const schema = Schema.create({
     MIN_TEXT_RULE,
     INLINE_CHILDREN_RULE,
     INLINE_VOID_TEXT_RULE,
+    INLINE_VOID_TEXTS_AROUND_RULE,
     NO_ADJACENT_TEXT_RULE
   ]
 })