Why does a "spam columns" paragraph style also makes previous content span?

[Inélsòre]

I'm editing a document in which I have to create a new version of it with some of the original text cut out. 

This should cause some reflowing of the text, but when it does, the heading paragraph style that starts a new section of text and that is set to "span columns" also causes the text before it on the page to span columns as well. 

STEP 1: starting point.

STEP 2: put cursor at the beginning of the new spread and hit backspace once

STEP 3: hit Return once to separate the last line of the previous section from the first line of the following one and then applied the heading paragraph with span column to the title.

How can I get the text of the first section to occupy only the left column until it is over, and then the new section start below it? 

Thank you

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

I am not sure you can, not without some outright hacking at the content structure, which is never a proper thing. It's a fundamental rule for ID to balance columns, part of which is assuming you want the result above: all the prior content in columns above the spanned head for what follows.

Without experimenting, I think the only way you could get one column above the spanned head would be to split the text frame and make sure 'Balance Columns' is unchecked in the Text Frame Options. (You might see if that's checked in your current doc, and it might have some effect, but I think not — nothing inherent in styles and settings will force that content to one column, leaving an empty one, ahead of a spanned head.)

You could add empty returns until the text is all on the left, but that would be unstable as further edits are made.

And just IMVHO, I don't think that would be a very good look. But I'll assume you have your preferences/reasons.

[Jeffrey_Smith · Accepted solution]

You can use a keep option applied to as many paragraphs as needed to keep in left column.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Interesting. I wouldn't have thought that would work in the above situation (that is, I would have assumed the keep-with would still allow column flow). Similar potential for breakage if the flow of the text changes, though. I can't think of a truly automatic, self-adjusting method.

[Inélsòre]

Jeffrey's reply did the trick, but also superimposing the new text frame above the old one so that the footnote stayed low on the page helped. 

Sorry for the late answer, I didn't get notifications...