Shape hints from hell

Sorry to bore anyone, but whenever I try to tweak a shape tween with hints they seem to make the lot worse! I’ve heard about starting upper left and going around counter clockwise, but turning an A into an O (both forms of course) with that placement just squiggles and spins my tween.

Are there any rules that could help? I once saw something from Macromedia that turned a poodle into a bike. The designer probably had a padt with the Devil…

Thanks for any ideas,

buggo