Will I still write for steem if free? Heck yeah! I have always shared my stories via email as far back as I can remember. Nobody paid me a dime here. Truth is the monetary reward here makes it easier for me to put more effort in my blog. If free, my efforts may not be as much, but will I still blog, hell yeah, I would.
Do I visit the trending page? No, I never do. Why? No reason, I have my own method of seeing posts that is worth reading without resorting to the trending pages.