Need independent columns

I’m writing a large document that needs two columns per page. Some pages are short, and I don’t want to have to type to the bottom of the page in order to use the 2nd column.

I see that I can force a column break, but then I can’t put the cursor back into the first column to continue typing. I need to have the flexibility to put text into either column, without altering the formatting of other text.

Tables would do that, but this is a large document and it would be too fiddly to keep creating tables on each page. So I need to work with columns. Any workaround for using Pages, or a different app perhaps?